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/ 



JOUENAL OF DISCOUESES 



BT 



PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR, 



HIS COUNSELLOES, 



THE TWELVE APOSTLES 



BXPORTED BT 

GEO. T. QIBBS, JOHN IBYIim AKD OTHERS. 

BBBPBOmrLLT BBDIOATBD TO THB LATTRB-]>iLT SAZBTS IIT ALL THB WORLB. 




LIVERPOOL : 
PEINTBD AND PUBLISHED BY ALBERT CARRINGTON 42, ISLINGTON. 

LONDON : 

UimB-D^T SAINTS* B iOK DBTOfT, 10, D0B81T BTBEKP, BRIDE STBEBT, LIVIBPOOL BOAS. 

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1881. 

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PREFACE. 



In presenting the Twenty-first Volume of the Journal of Discourses 

i 

to our readers, we pray that those who read the counsels therein giveiii 
may do so by the light of the Holy Spirit of Truth, that great benefit 
may be obtained therefrom, and that by a wise application of the teachingiB 
of God's servants, from time to time, the Saints may finally be exalted in 
His Heavenly Kingdom. 



THE PUBLISHER 



J,: . 



» 



w 



JNDEX 



Aefaoe ▼. 

JQfke object of the GatherinA^ of the Saints... Conflict between 
the Powerii of God and Evil.. .The World growing Worse... 
Work of God pronesBiog... Exhortation to lighteouBness 
and the spirit of Union. John Taylor. Aug. 31, 1879 1 

Law of Celestial Marriage... The Resurrection and Jadgment... 
Extent of tlie Mission of the Savior. 

Joseph F. Smith. Dee. 7, i> 9 

Bf marks made at the Funeral Services of Jos. M. Cain. 

"' ' John Taylor. Feb. 8, 1880 14 

Best signifies Changif . . . Timie as related to Eterni ty . . .Wonder- 
*« fill mechanism of the human body ... Integrity in the Face ' 

of Opposition Erastus Snow. Oct 1879 22 

k411 Temporal ConcemsKeed the Attention of the Saints... We 
Should Prepare for the Evils Coming Upon the Earth... 
Co-operation and tbe United Order... Funetions of the Two 
Priesthoods... Home Manufactures. JohnTayh>r. April 9^ „ 29 

Salvation Dependent Upon Effort and Progress.. We Should 

ISot be Discouraged by Diffieulty. H. W. Naisbitt, Nov. 23« „ ' 38 

Tbe Word of the Lor.d to the Church Given Through the 
Amthorities... Authorities Should be Sustained... Powers of 
(^ the PrieadhojDd... Sphere of Woipan. C. W. Penrose. . Nov. 29, u ' ^ 

Co-operation and the United Ord^r.^.The Saints Should be 
Governed by the Law and WiU of God...The Approaching 
<^ Calamities. Upon thp World,. .Should be WiUing to Forsake , . 
'^ Earthly Interests for the Gospel's Shke. John Taylor. Sept2l, 1878 63 



VL INDEX. 

ComprehensiTeneM of the Lord's Prayer... The Rule and GoTem- 
xnent of God...The Revelation of the Father and Son to 
Joseph Smith, and the Bestowal upon Him of the Priest- 
hood... Development of Theocratic Laws and Principles... 
Object of Gathering... Religious Freedom... Our Relationa 
with the General Government John Taylor. Jan. 4, 1880 61 

Spiritual Gifts Attainahle...Unchangeablene88 of €k>d. .Univer- 
sality of the Rip[ht of Revelation... The Saints Glorify the 
God of Revelation... Necessity of Self-government. 

Geo. Q. Cannon. Oct. 5, 1879 It 

Insufficiency of mere Belief in Christ.. .Extent and Application 
of the Atonement... Necessity of Divine Authority to 
enable Man to Administer the Gospel ...Joseph Smith 
Called of God. C.W.Penrose. Ap'125, 1880 » 

Effects of the Preachingof the Gospel... Object of the Gathering 
..Jdanifestations of the Ancients to Joseph Smith... The 
Gospel to Departed Spirits... Duties of the Saints to each 
other.. .The kind of Men Wanted to uo on Mission-s. 

, . . . . John Taylor. Ap'l 13, 1879 91 

The Principle of Revelation and its Application to the Several 
Phases of Life... How the Brotherhood of Man shall be 
Evolved. H. W. NaisUtt. Mar. 7. 1880 101 

Eternal Nature of the Gospel... The Principle of Life and 
: Increase... The Source of All Intelligence... Right of the 
' Creator to Govern the Creature... Duties of the Saints. 

John Taylor. . Nov. 28, 1879 m 

No Man Can Build Up «he Ohnrch of Christ Without the 
Priesthood ..Responsibility of the Priesthood... Christ 
Coming in this Generation . . .Great Changes and Judgments 
Approaching... Exhortation to Highteouaness. 

Wilfoid Woodruff. Jane 6, 1680 121 

f • 

On the Book of Mormon... Destinv of the Kingdom of Gkxl and 

the Saints. . ' Orson Pratt. Sept. 7, 1879 1& 

Difference Between the Latter-day Saints and all other Pro- . . 

fessing Christians. C. W. Penrese. ApU 11, . 1880 137 

Progress of the Saints to Union in Faith and Practice ... The 

United Order. Orson Pratt Nov. 1, 1879 1^ 

How a Knowledge of God is Obtained... The Gospel to th«- 
Dead ... Various Dispensations uf the Most High to Man- 
kind ... Power of the Priesthood ... Restoration of the 
Gospel Through Joseph Smith .. Failings o£ the Saints... 
Corrupt^onp of the Wicked. . 

The Book of Mormon an Authentic Record. 
Southern States Mission. 

Duties and Responsibilities of the Priesthood and Saints Gene- 
rally ... Zion Shall Not be Overcome ... The Wicked Shall 
Slay the Wicked ... The End Near. Wilford Woodruff, July 3, 1860 189 



. John Taylor. 


Dec. 7, 


1879 155 


Orson Pratt. 


Sept. 21, 


1879 1'- 

4 


John Morgan. 


May 23, 


1860 179 



'••I 



l>'l)hX. VlL 

Pre-exintence, in Spiritu^il Form^ of Man» the Lower Aniioftli j 

and the Darth ... The Temporal Pj^bationary State ... The 
MilleDniUm ... The Final Change. Orson Pratt Nov. 12, 1879 197 

, t • * 

3|ift«iaing the iiujthoritiee ... Power of the Priesthood ... Faith- 
fulness Kequired, etc. John Taylor. Mar. 1, 1880 2QJ( 

■V 

She iMpiraliDn ol the Lord's Servants ... Rerelation :.. The 

Resurrection, etc G. W. Penrose, Aug, ,8. 1880 220 

Man to be Jadged by Lav ... A Law Given to All Things...The . . 

Latir of Gravitation'... How it Varies by Distance ... Law 
of . Projectiop ... Law ^f - EUifitic Forms, having tbie same . . ' ' 
length of year ... Law of Orbital Velocity ... Its Varifttions 
Depending on Distance ... Wise Adaptation ... Intelligent 
Selections of Law ... Laws of Nature Counteracted. 

Orson Pratt Aug. 8, 1880 232 

The Great Principles of Truth as Taught by Revelation to the 
Ancients, and also to the Saints in Our Day. 

John Taylor. Mar. 21, 1880 241 

The Power of God to Communicate Intelligence ... Difference 
In Capacity between the Mortal and the Immortal ... The 
Future of Man, etc. Orson Pratt. June 13, 1880 256 

Natural Fulfillment of Prophecy ... The Israelites and the 

Gentiles. Geo. Q. Oauuon. Nov. 2, 1879 264 

The Gathering of the Saints ... Their SufTerings ... Ancient 
Predictions Fulfilled ... Crickets and their Miraculous 
Destruction ... Crops Saved ... Desert Made Fruitful ... 
God*s Kingdom in the Mountains ... Its Future Destiny... 
The Coming of the Lord. Orson Pratt. June 20, 1880 272 

Responsibilities of the Priesthood ... Exhortation to Faith- 
fulness, etc. Wilford Woodruff, July 4, 1880 28X 

Visions of Muses ... Rebellion in Heaven ... Satan cast down... 
Our First Parents Fell ... Before the Fall they were Im- 
mortal... After the Fall, Mortal ...The Command to 
Multiply was given to two Immortal Beings ... This 
Command more fully to be carried into effect, after the 
Resurrection, etc. Orson Pratt. July 18. 1880 286- 

Revelation, Prophesying, Predictions of the Servants of God, 

etc Wilford Woodruff. Aug. I, 1880 296 

A Double Birthday.. .The Authority of the Priesthood, etc. 

Orson Pratt Sept 19, 1880 303^ 

Remarks following Elder Orson Pratt's Wilfoxd Woodruff. „ ,» 1880 314 

Organization of the First Presidency ... Responsibility of tho 

Saints, «tc. Wilford Woodruit Oct 10, 1880 Z\^ 

Introductory Remarks... Heaven and Barth to Pass Away... 
Not Anaihilated ... Heaven and Earth not Created from 
Nothing ... Materials Eternal ... Materials under the 
dominion of laws ... Central and Orbital Forces ... 
Compound and Elementary Substances ... Earth in tlif 
Beginning . . No Mortality, then known, on this creation 
...The Fall... The Earth's Baptism in Water ... Ita 
baptism in fire... Its bajitism by the Spirit ...Its Justifi- 
cation ... Its Sanctification ... Its Purification ... Its Thou- 
sand Years' Rest, etc. Orson Pratt Aug. 19, 1880 3L 






INDEX. 



The Increase and Future of the Saints ... True Education, etc 

H. W. NaUbitt Aug. 2», 



18S0 331 

l8Sl9ti 

Jul 3» ISSL^U 



!rbf Eternities Before the Saints ... The Sublimity of the 

(xospel, etc. John Taylor. Jan. 2, 

The Gospel, — A' Practical and Comprehennva Religion, and 
. the Means of Eternal Jlxaltation. • . CL W. Penrose 

^e Or«ler and Duties of the Priesthood, etc. John Taylor. Aiig. 8, 1880 351 

The right of the First-Bom, ct& Erastas Snow. 

Opposition to the Work of €K)d, eta John Taylor. 



M 



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JOUENAL OF DISCOUESES. 



DISCOUKSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR, 

DELIVERED AT LOGAN, ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON, AUGUST, 31ST, 1879. 



(Reported hy Geo. F, Oibhs.) 



THE OBJECT OF THE GATHKRING OF THE SAINTS — CONFLICT BETWEEN 
THE POWERS OF GOD AND EVIL — THE WORLD GROWING WORSE — 
WORK OF GOD PROGRESSING — ^EXHORTATION TO RIGHTEOUSNESS AND 
THE SPIRIT OF UNION. 



If the congregation will try to be 
quiet I will endeavor to talk to them 
a little in my way. 

It is some time since I met with 
the Saints in this place, not because 
I was not desirous to come but be- 
cause circumstances have controlled 
*nd prevented me. We come here, 
now, more particularly to attend to 
a little affair associated with your 
Temple. There seems to have been 
a little misunderstanding about its 
construction, and as we have a 
Temple Committee and architects for 
the Church, we thought it best to 
have the brethren composing this 
committee and the architects, 
present, that we might confer with 
them, so that everything pertaining 
to this building might be done pro- 
perly according to order and correct 
principles. 

Elder Truman 0. Angell was sus- 
tained at the General Conference as 

No. 1. 



Architect of the Church, and William 
H. Folsom and Truman 0. Angell 
Jr., as his assistants, and were there- 
fore the proper persons to consult, 
in the adjustment of any matters 
that might be in questionu 

I speak of this as one of those 
things in connection with the holy 
priesthood, and with the building of 
this sacred edifice that we are erect- 
ing to the name of the Loi-d. We 
found that a sUght change had been 
made from the original plan, which 
however is not material, and there 
will no difficulty arise therefrom. 
I thought I would mention this be- 
cause people generally like to under- 
stand things as they exist. It is 
much better to tell things right out 
as they are than to hear of whisper- 
ings about this and the other thing, 
which in many instimces *re inaw- 
rect. 

We are pleased to find the pvo- 

Vol. XXL 



JOUBNAL OF DISCK)X71tS£S. 



gress you are makiiig in the erection 
of this temple, the energy and zeal 
that are being displayed and the 
liberality that has been manifested 
by the people of this temple district. 
We are engaged, as has been men- 
tioned by Brother Snow, in a great 
work ; in the work that prophets 
and seers have irazed upon and pro- 
phesied of, namely the gathering 
together of the Lord's elect, the 
building of temples for the redemp- 
tion of the' living and the dead ; in 
the establishment of the kingdom of 
our God. These things have been 
more or less understood according to 
the power of the spirit and the light 
of revelation that has rested upon 
his prophets ever since the world 
began. It is difficult, as has been 
remarked, for us sometimes to real- 
ize the position we occupy — the re- 
lation we sustain to our heavenly 
Father — the responsibility that rests 
upon us and the various duties we 
have to perform in the fulfillment of 
the purposes of God ; in the interest 
of a world lying in wickedness ; in 
the building up of the Zion of our 
God, in the establishment of right- 
eousness and in bringing to pass 
those great and glorious principles 
which have been contemplated by 
the Almighty "before the world 
rolled into existence or the morning 
stars sang together for joy." It is 
our lot to be placed upon |the earth 
in this time. It is our lot to have 
our minds enlightened by the Spirit, 
intelligence and revelation that flows 
from God. It is our lot to operate 
and co-oporate with Gk>d our heaven- 
\j Father, — ^and with his Son Jesus 
Christ, — and with the ancient patri- 
archs, apostles and men of God who 
have lived before ; and while they 
are operating behind the vail in the 
interests of humanity in the fulfil- 
ment of the purposes of God and in 
the 'establishment of righteousness 



upon the earth, we are here to bper 
ate with them, that we and they 
may act conjointly under the influ 
ence and guidance of the Almighty 
and the power and Spirit of the 
living God, in carrying out the de- 
signs of the great Jehovah. This is 
what we are here for. And it is 
necessary that we should compre- 
hend our position ; for in the per- 
formance of our duties associated 
with this work it is not as some 
people seem to suppose. We have 
got something else to do besides fold- 
ing our arms and crying " Lullaby 
baby on the tree top, when the wind 
blows the cradle will rock." We 
have something to do besides " sit- 
ting and singing ourselves away to 
everlasting bliss." It is our duty — 
and God expects it of us, that we 
should seek unto him for wisdom, 
for guidance, for revelation and for 
a knowledge of his law, that we may 
be filled with the Holy Ghost and 
the power of God and that we may 
be enabled to magnify our calling 
and priesthood and accomplish that 
work which God has designed from 
before the foundation of the world. 
It is in reality a labor. We have 
gone forth, as many have gone forth 
to preach the Gospel of life and sal- 
vation to a fallen world. We have 
gathered in " one of a city and two 
of a family;" we have combated 
the errors of ages and inveighed 
against the wickedness, corruptions 
and strategems of wicked and un- 
godly men, who have opposed us on 
every hand ; and we have, with the 
help of the Lord, succeeded in gather- 
ing out many of the honest in heart 
from among the different nations of 
the earth. And we have come here 
to carry out the will, purposes and 
designs of God. I never supposed 
that we were to come here to get 
rich, to increase in worldly posses- 
sions i but we came as I understand 



THE OBJECT OF GATHERING, ETC. 



it in accordance with an express 
command of the Most High, that we 
may be taught in the knowledge of 
God, that we might come to an 
understanding of his laws. We are 
not here to follow the devices and 
desires of our own hearts ; we are 
not here to carry out any particular 
theory of our own ; we are not here 
to build up any system of man's 
creation ; but we are here simply to 
do the will of God in the establish- 
ment of his kingdom on the earth. 
In many things however we have 
not lived up to that high and glori- 
ous privilege which has been pre- 
sented to us ; we have been care- 
less and indifferent, and it seems as 
though Satan has been permitted to 
try and tempt us in every possible 
way. For a few years past a spirit 
of greed and covetousness has run 
through the land and cursed as with 
a withering blight every thing it has 
touched. It is as bad in its effects 
upon the mind of man as any pestil- 
ence or plague upon the human body. 
"We have begun to run after the 
things of the world ; our hearts, feel- 
ings and affections, in many in- 
stances, have been estranged from 
God. It is time that something 
should transpire to wake us up to a 
sense of the position we occupy ; it 
is time we realized hew God and 
angels look upon men Avho are ab- 
sorbed in the things of this world 
instead of living up to their profes- 
sions and the covenants they have 
made with him. 

We have many of us however 
been doing a good work notwith- 
standing these grievous evils. It 
is true it is not always smooth sail- 
ing. Sometimes we seem when a 
little difficulty comes along to be 
struck with amazement, as though 
something very extraordinary had 
happened. There is nothing very 
strange about these things. " What 



are you doing 1 What is the posi- 
tion of affairs ] What are you going 
to do *? etc. ' Those words express 
the kind of feelings that actuate the 
minds of the Latter-day Saints. 
There has been a war ever since the 
commencement of the world to the 
present time between the powers 
of light and the powers of 
darkness. Adam, we are told, had 
two sons. One was a covetous man, 
a wicked man who did not fear God; 
the other was a righteous man who 
feared God. The wicked son, who 
was instigated of the devil, said, I 
will kill my brother and then I ynW 
have his possessions. He did so 
and it seems that this kind of feel- 
ing existed until in a short time that 
influence had so prevailed that 
wickedness and corruption made 
such rapid strides that the world 
had to be swept as with a besom of 
destruction, and only a very few men 
were left. And then it seemed ne- , 
cessary that the same spirit and the 
same power should continue ; and 
hence a part of this Canaanish seed 
came through the flood. Why? 
That there might still be the two 
powers — the power of light and the 
power of darkness ; the power of 
God and the power of the devil — 
that the struggle and warfare among 
men might still go on, so that man 
might be made perfect through 
suffering. Hence the seryants of 
God in the different ages of the 
world have had to combat with the 
powers of darkness. John the Rer- « 
elator speaks of a great company ef 
people whom he saw arrayed ii 
white, singing a new song. And on 
his inquiring as to who they were, 
he was told that they were they 
that had washed their robes and 
made them white in the blood of 
the Lamb. They were they that 
had come up through much tribula- 
tion, therefore they were next the 



JOURNAL 07 DIQCOURSI^. 



throne. It is m consonance with 
the fore-ordained pb-n of the Al- 
mighty that a man should pass 
through certain trials and diflSculties, 
and be tested in every possible way, 
in order to be prepared for an exal- 
tation in the kingdom of God. It 
was so with Job. He was peculiarly 
situated. It seems that the devil 
appeared among the sons of God in 
heaven, as he does on earth very 
frequently. When the sons of God 
were assembled together, the devil 
was among them, and he went, as it 
appears, to instigate a feeling against 
Job. The Lord said to him, " Hast 
thou considered my servant Job?" 
** Yes," said he, •* I have considered 
him." The Lord said that Job was 
a perfect and an upright man, etc. 
"Oh, yes," said he, "I know all 
about him. You think that Job is 
a very good man ; but just let me 
have a rap at him, and I will show 
what Job will do." " Well," says 
the Lord, " you may try him." He 
went to work and concentrated the 
lightning in one focus and hurled a 
thunderbolt against his oldest son*s 
house, where all his children were 
feasting, and destroyed them. No 
sooner had the messenger reported 
the result ©f this catastrophe to Job 
than the news came that a certain 
people — I was going to say ." Chris- 
lans " — ^liad fallen upon his oxen and 
asses and killed his servants. They 
cajled them in those days Sabeans 
and Chaldeans and Hittites, I think; 
we call them now-a-days Baptists, 
Presbyterians, Methodists, etc. They 
calleii things by different names in 
diferent ages, but they are the same 
cjass of people. They went after 
his camels, his asses, his goats and 
flll his property that they could lay 
their hands on, leaving him helpless 
and destitute — and he was, it is said, 
the richest man of the East. Job, 
in looking at his changed. situation, 



summed the whole thing up in these^^ 
few words : " Naked came I out of 
my mother's womb, and naked shall 
1 return thither : the Lord gave and 
the Lord hath taken away ; blessed 
be the name of the Lord." 

Well, the devil did not succeed 
that time ; but like the lawyers who^ 
are after the executors, however, I 
suppose he thought he would take 
another shoot — serve some fresli 
papers. He presented himself be- 
fore the Lord the second time. And 
addressing him the Lord said,. 
" Well, what do you think about 
Job now ]" He said his efforts had 
not succeeded very well as yet ; but 
" skin for skin, all that a man hath' 
will he give for his life ; let me lay 
my hand upon his body and he will 
curse thee to thy face." " Well, I 
put him into your hands, but do not 
interfere with his life." The devil 
then let loose something like small- 
pox upon him — only it was called 
by a different name in those days — 
covering him with boils from the 
crown of his head to the soles of his 
feet, and he scraped himself with a 
potsherd wallowing in ashes. And 
while he was in this condition some 
of his friends came along for the pur- 
pose of sympathizing with him ; and 
after offering a great deal of advice, 
they came to the conclusion that Job 
must have been a very wicked man, 
or such a calamity never could have 
come upon hira. And then, to cap 
the climax, his wife came along, and 
in her way says, Job, you are a fool 
for putting up with all this ; you 
have suffered enough, and were I 
you I would not stand it any longer. 
I would curse God and die like a 
man. Job replied, " You talk like 
one of the foolish women of old. 
Have we not received good at the 
hands of the Lord, and shall we not 
also receive evil 1 The Lord gave • 
and the Lord taketh away, and. 



THE OBJECT OF GATHERING, ETC. 



Idessed be the name of the Lord." 
And then he looked around and saw 
his desolation, stripped of his child- 
ren and possessions, sick and weary, 
deserted by friends, laughed at by 
demies and upbraided by his wife, 
afflicted with a loathsome disease, 
lonely, deserted and desolate, he 
<;ried out, *' Though he slay me yet 
will I trust in him. The lightning 
may destroy my offspring, the 
Sabeans and Chaldeans may rob me 
of my possessions, and Satan may 
be permitted to lay his hand upon 
me and smite with this loathsome 
disease, and although I may be 
clothed in sackcloth and have to 
to wallow in ashes, and go down 
into the grave, and worms prey upon 
this body and crawl and revel in my 
brain, yet in my flesh shall I see God; 
I shall see him for myself, and not 
for another." Inspired by the spirit 
of revelation and the power and light 
of the Holy Ghost, he could say, I 
know in whom I have believed ; 
and although I do not know — and 
it matters not — where I may go, or 
where my resting place may be, yet 
I shall stand in the latter day upon 
the earth, and shall behold my Ee- 
deemer, whom I shall see for myself 
and not for another. This is the 
kind of religion he had. But we 
think it very strange sometimes that 
we should have a little bother ; w.e 
think we ought to go along peaceably, 
having * nothing to disturb our 
equanimity, that everything should 
move smoothly and pleasantly along 
until we reach the celestial abode of 
the Father, to associate with the 
gods. Some of us would make curi- 
ous gods, if such were to be our lot ; 
but we may rest satisfied that such 
will not be our lot. The Lord does 
not do things in that kind of a way. 
When we were traveling abroad 
peeachingto the world, among other 
iWngs we predicted was that the 



world would grow worse and worse, 
deceiving: and being deceived. Thou- 
sands of our Elders have preached 
among the nations to the effect that 
God was having a controversy with 
them ; that he would arise and shak6 
terribly the earth and vex the na- 
tions sorely. Many of you Elders 
before me to-day have proclaimed 
these things ; and you have told the 
people that empires would be cast 
down and the kingdoms overthrown 
and the nations wasted away, but 
that the work and purposes of God 
would grow and increase until the 
kingdoms of this world should be- 
come the kingdoms of our God and 
his Christ. Are you astonished, 
then, that these things should begin 
to be fulfilled] Quite a favorite 
theme has been with many of our 
elders, that the " little stone " spo- 
ken of in the Scriptures has been 
cut out of the mountain without 
hands, and it is destined to strike 
the image whose head was of gold, 
breast and arms of silver, belly and 
thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet 
part of iron and part of clay, upon 
its feet, breaking it to pieces ; and 
that the materials, which represent 
the various nations of the earth, com- 
posing the image should become like 
the chaff of a summer's threshing- 
floor, carried away by the wind un- 
til there was no place found lor it. 
This is exactly as it has been fore- 
told many thousands of years ago, 
and you brethren are perfectly fami- 
liar with it from having preached it 
both to the world and to the Latter- 
day Saints. When this little stone, 
then, as it rolls forth, strikes the 
toes of the great image, are you sur- 
prised that there should be a little 
kicking? You don't like to have 
your toes trodden upon anymore than 
anybody else. The fact is, the same 
great conflict is going on between 
the two great powers ; the only dif- 



e 



( . 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



ference is that we are in much better 
circumstances than many who Hved 
in earlier days who had to wander 
about in sheep and goat skins, seek- 
ing the dens and caves of rocks as 
places of retreat and safety. You, 
my brethren and sisters, do not look 
to-day as though you w«re pushed 
to such extremes, do you? I think 
it another kind of spectacle. We 
are an integral part of this great 
government of the United States, 
not a very large part, but a very 
small part ; and we have assumed a 
species of political importance ; and 
every now and then they get after 
us without knowing hardly the why 
or the wherefore. They talk some- 
times quite loudly about our cprrup- 
tions. Why, as I told them some 
time ago in Salt Lake City, in talk- 
ing about this matter, there is more 
wickedness carried on in Washing- 
ton, where they talk so much about 
purity, in one day, than there is in 
these valleys of the mountains in six 
months, the Gentiles and all thrown 
in. And yet it is quite important 
that they should call upon a num- 
ber of European nations to help them 
to correct the morals of two hundred 
thousand people in these far distant 
mountains. What magnanimity ! 
Well, what about it ? Not much. 
But there is this much about it — 
that this nation, nor the powers of 
Europe, nor any other power, can 
overturn the Church and Kingdom 
of God that he has established on 
the earth. It will go on in spite of 
all the powers of earth and hell. 
You have heard that prophesied 
over and over again, and I will pro- 
phesy it again to-day. And every 
power that Hit its hand against the 
kingdom of God will be wasted away: 
for God will have a controversy with 
the nations who oppose his work, 
and he will manage them in his own 
way ; he will put a hook in their 



jaws and will lead them whitherso- 
ever he will. The wrath of man shall 
praise him, and the remainder he 
has said he will restrain. Hence I 
feel a good deal like taking the ad- 
vice of Jesus : " Fear not them 
which kill the body, but are not able 
to kill the soul : but rather fear 
him who is able to destroy both soul 
and body in hell." 

The only fear I have for the Lat- 
ter-day Saints is that they will not 
live their religion. And I call upon 
you here to-day to lay aside your 
covetousness, your greed and your 
avarice, and act honorably and just 
one with another as your brethren, 
humble yourselves before God and 
seek unto him for his guidance, and 
he will l\e\p you, he will bless ani 
sustain you, and he will deliver you. 
And I say unto the priesthood, be 
one ; for if you are not one you are 
not of God. No contention, no 
strife, no backbiting, no hard words; 
but let us have the love of God 
dwelling and welling up in our hearts, 
and extending to all men. But war 
against evil, corruption and iniquity 
of every kind, wherever found;, 
stand firm in upholding and main- 
taining the principles of truth as 
they have been revealed to us, be- 
fore high heaven, before all men. 
We want to be united, and, as Paul 
says, ** Put on the whole armor of 
God, that ye may be able to stand 
against the wiles of the devil. For 
we wrestle .not against flesh and 
blood, but against principalities, 
against powers, against the rulers of 
the darkness of this world, against 
spiritual wickedness in high places. 
Paul had to maintain the truth as 
he had received it in the midst of a 
crooked and perverse generation;, 
and we have to do the same, and God 
will sustain us in our endeavors. 
But if we are trembly and shaky,, 
our religion is not worth much to us^ 



THE OBJJEOT 01* GA.THEIUNG, ETC. 



\ 



We have a few among us who say, 
*.* Oh, don't ! you'd better take it 
easy ! Keep quiet ! You may 
offend the devil, for what I know, 
We have a few dollars somewhere, 
and we are afraid something will 
disturb them, and the property we 
have made will go !" Well, let it go; 
who cares about it % " Love not the 
world, neither the things that are in 
the world. If any man love the 
world, the love of the Father is not 
in him." We ought to be governed 
by correct principles and act wisely 
and consistently, and treat all men 
alike. There are a great many who 
have the idea that there are certain 
classes that have rights which do 
not belong to others. 1 do not know 
of any such people. We are all the 
free-born sons of Zion ; we all par- 
take of the holy priesthood, and we 
all have our rights and privileges 
with God. We want to act accord- 
ing to correct principle, and be gov- 
erned by the law of God, not one 
law for one man and another for an- 
other man. But operating together 
and maintaining one another's rights 
upon the pure principles of truth 
and equity, as they exist in the 
bosom of God. When the things 
spoken of referring to the last days 
shall transpire, righteousness shall 
be the girdle of his loins, and faith- 
fulness the girdle of his reins, and it 
will be as was remarked by Brother 
Richards, and as the Prophet Jere- 
miah foretold : "I will put my law 
in their inward parts, and write it 
in their hearts ; and muU be their 
God, and they shall be my people." 
As we adhere to the principles of law, 
equality, justice and right, and are 
govexned by those principles. The 
man who is governed by the Spirit 
of God and lives in the light of re- 
velation, has the law of God written 
on his heart and it is engraven in 
his inward parts. He feels as Jesus 



did about these tlxings. It was -said 
to him on a certain occasion, ** Be- 
hold, thy mother and thy brethren 
stand without, desiring to speak 
with thee." When he said, referring 
to his disciples, "Behold my mother 
and my brethren ; For whosoever 
shall do the will of my Father which 
is in heaven, the same is my brother, 
and sister and mother." That is 
the kind of feeling. We want to be 
united in our hearts and feelings : 
united to each other ; united to the 
holy priesthood, bound together by 
those indissoluble ties that will unite 
us in time and through eternity, 
according to the principles of the 
everlasting covenant which we have 
entered into which reaches beyond 
the vail. 

We have a struggle. Some of the 
"Amalekites" and Hittites are 
abroad. But who cares? Satan 
works for a little while, and he will 
work and no doubt do his utmost as 
long as he is permitted ; and when 
the time comes for him to be re- 
moved, God will remove him. We 
may struggle as we please and do as 
we please in regard to these things, 
but we are all in the hands of God. 
As has been remarked, it is quite 
easy for the Lord to handle us in 
these mountains. He can send grass- 
hoppers if he wants to ; he can with- 
hold the snows from coming on our 
mountains if he wants to, and thus 
cause drouth in the summer season 
and he can send the moths to des- 
troy our fruit ; all of which we have 
more or less already experienced. 
In fact he can do witf^ us just, as he 
pleases and we cannot help ourselves. 
Our only resource is in him. We 
want to be right ourselves^ in our 
families, evei;y man» wifcU himself. 
Forsake your sins, and (jjeave \jnto 
God. Pay your titl^ings ,and jour 
offerings and comply with the laws 
of God in every particular so that 



JOUBNAL OF DlbOCyURSXS. 



you may feel that you are acceptable 
before the Almighty, and then teach 
jour families the same thing. 
Humble yourselves as families before 
God. You seventies, high priests 
and elders. Do the same thing as 
quorums and seek for the guidance 
and blessing of the Lord. Have 
you cheated or defrauded anybody 1 
If you have, then make things right, 
and try forever afterwards to be 
governed by correct principles. And 
then let there be perfect union in all 
the various quorums and among all 
the people ; and let us all say in our 
hearts and lives, whatever the Lord 
commands us to do that we will ob- 
serve and do ; and let all Israel do 
the same, and the devils then may 
howl and all hell may boil over, but 
God Avill preserve his people, he will 
stand as our shield and buckler and 
•ur strong defence. 

We have got this kingdom to 
build up ; and it is not a phantom, 
but a reality. We have to do it, 
God expects it at our hands. We 
have got to have — now do not tell 
any body for it is a great secret ; we 
have got to have political power. 
What, will not that be treason 1 
Perhaps so, but no matter ; we have 
got to go on and progress in these 
things. We have got to establish a 
government upon the principle of 
righteousness, justice, truth and 
equality and not according to the 
many false notions that exist among 
men. And then the day is not far 
distant when this nation ^ill be 
shaken from centre to circumference. 
And now, you may write it down, 
any of you, and I will prophesy it 
in the name of God. And then will 
be fuMled that prediction to be found 
in one of the revelations given 
through the Prophet Joseph Smith. 
Those who will not take up their 
sword to fight Against their neighbor 



must needs flee to Zion for safety. 
And they will come, saying, we do 
not know anything of the principles 
of your religion, but we perceive 
that you are an honest community ; 
you administer justice and righte- 
ousness, and we want to live with 
you and receive the protection of 
your laws, but as for your religion 
we will talk about that some other 
time. Will we protect such peopled 
Yes, all honorable men. When the 
people shall have torn to shreds the 
Constitution of the United States 
the Elders of Israel will be found 
holding it up to the nations of the 
earth and proclaiming liberty and 
equal rights to all men, and extend- 
ifig the hand of fellowship to the 
oppressed of all nations. This is 
part of the programme, and as long 
as we do what is right and fear 
God, he will help us and stand by 
us under all circumstances. 

Therefore, Latter-day Saints, fear 
God ; work the works of righteous- 
ness ; live your religion ; keep the 
commandments and humble your- 
selves before him j be one, and be 
united with the holy priesthood and 
with each other, and I will tell you 
in the name of God that Zion will 
rise and shine and the power of 
God will rest upon her; and her 
glory will be made manifest, and 
we will rejoice in the fulness of the 
blessings of the Gospel of peace; and 
' the work of God will go on and in- 
crease until the kingdoms of this 
world shall become the kingdoms of 
our God and his Christ, and every 
creature in the heaven and on the 
earth and under the earth will be 
heard to say. Blessing, and glory, 
and honor and praise and power, 
might and majesty and dominion be 
ascribed to him that sits upon the 
throne and to the Lamb for ever 
and ever. Amen. 



LAW OF CKLICSTIAL MARRIAGX. 



9 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER JOSEPH F. SMITH, 

Delivered at the Funesal Sebvices over the Remains of Elder 
William Clayton, Held in the 17th Ward Meeting House, Salt 

Lake City, Dec. 7th, 1879. 



LAW OF celestial MARRIAGE — THE RESURRECTION AND JUDGMENT — 
extent of the MISSION OF THE SAVIOR. 



By request of President John 
Taylor, I arise to make a few re- 
marks. I deeply and sincerely sym- 
pathize with the family, the wives 
and children of the deceased, Bro. 
William Clayton, who remain to 
mourn the loss of the society of their 
husband and father for a little season. 
And yet, when we consider all the 
circumstances, we may conclude that 
we have not very great cause to 
mourn. For when a man has lived 
to a good old age, worn out as it 
were through toil, passes away, we 
can realize at least that he has ac- 
complished his mission, that he has 
performed his work on this earth, 
and is ready to return to the father 
from whence he came ; behind the 
vail. 

Brother Clayton had reached a 
ripe age, after laboring unceasingly 
among his brethren from his first 
connection with the Church. 

He has had a long and varied expe- 
rience among this people. He was 
a friend and companion of the Pro- 
phet Joseph Smith, and it was to 
his pen to a very great extent that 
we are indebted for the history of 
the Church — that is, the history of 
tiie Prophet Joseph more particu- 
larly, during his acquaintance with 



him and the time he acted for him 
as his private secretary, in the days 
of Nauvoo. We have the journals 
which he kept during that time, in 
the Historian's Office, from which — 
in connection with those of Elders 
Willard Richards and Wilfoi-d 
Wood ruif and the Times arid Seasons, 
a publication of the Church at that 
time — we have obtained the history 
the Church during that period. It 
was his pen that wrote for the first 
time the re /elation in relation to the 
eternity of the marriage covenant 
and of a plurality of wives. Al- 
though that revelation had been 
given to the Prophet Joseph many 
years biefore, it was not written un- 
til the 12th of July, 1843, at which 
time Elder William Clayton, acting 
as a scribe for the Prophet, wrote it 
from his dictation. 

I am happy to say that he has 
left on record a statement in the 
shape of an affidavit, prepared by 
himself, in relation to this import- 
ant subject, for it is a subject that 
is of the most vital importance, not 
only to the Latter-day Saints, but 
to the whole world ; for without the 
knowledge contained in that reve- 
lation, we never could consummate 
the object of our mission to this 



10 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



earth, we never could fulfill the 
purposes of God in this estate. 

I have this paper in my posses- 
sion, and have had for a number of 
months past. In fact, it was writ- 
ten at my request, and then given 
into my care, and I have preserved 
it with a view, when thought pro- 
per, to have it published. And as 
it is a sermon of itself, it would 
perhaps be more interesting than 
anything I could say on the pre- 
sent occasion, and therefore, with 
President Taylor's permission, I will 
read it to the congregation. 

[The affidavit was then read by 
Elder Smith.] 

He then continued : 

As I before said, I felt to read 
this document because of the in- 
struction it would afford, and for 
the further object of showing that 
although *' he is dead, he yet speak- 
eth." For this testimony of Bro- 
ther Clayton will stand forever, 
though his body moulders into 
dust. And 1 am, and so was the 
deceased when living, at the defi- 
ance of the world to dispute those 
statements. They are made from 
personal knowledge derived from 
personal associations with the Pro- 
phet Joseph Smith himself, not with 
a view to gain notoriety, but rather 
to leave behind him his testimony 
with regard to this important prin- 
ciple. He has done so. And as 
he has here stated, as having come 
from the mouth of the Prophet, this 
doctrine of eternal union of hus- 
band and wife, and of plural mar- 
riage, is one of the most important 
doctrines ever revealed to man in 
any age of the world. Without it 
man would come to a full stop ; 
without it we never could be exalt- 
ed to associate with and become 
gods, neither could we attain to 
the power of eternal increase, or 
the blessings pronounced upon 



Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the far 
thers of the faithful. 

There are but a few witnesses 
now living in relation to the com- 
ing forth of this revelation; there 
never were many that were inti- 
mately acquainted with the pro- 
phet and his teaching upon this 
subject. I look around me and see 
a number of persons in this assem- 
bly whose hair has grown grey in 
the service of God, and who had an 
intimate acquaintance with our 
martyred prophet ; but few, if any 
of them, were so closely identified 
with him in this matter as Brother 
Clayton. 

There are, however, enough wit- 
nesses to these principles to esta- 
blish them upon the earth in such 
a manner that they never can be 
forgotten or stamped out. For 
they will live ; they are destined to 
live, and also to grow and spread 
abroad upon the face of the earth, 
to be received and accepted and 
adopted by all the virtuous, by all 
the pure in heart, by all who love 
the truth, and seek to serve Him 
and keep His commandments ; they 
are bound to prevail, because they 
are true principles. 

Now we are called upon to pay 
our last respects to Brother Clayton. 
His spirit has taken its flight ; it 
has gone to the Father from whence 
it came, as is taught in the Book of 
Mormon. When the spirit leaves 
the body, it returns, says the pro- 
phet, immediately to God, to be 
assigned to its place, either to asso- 
ciate with the good and the noble 
ones who have lived in the Paradise, 
of God, or to be confined in the 
** prison" house to await the resur- 
rection of the body from the grave. 
Therefore we know that Brother 
Clayton has gone ta God, gone to 
receive the partial judgment of the 
Almighty, which pertains to the 



LAW OF CELESTIAL MAlUtUGi:, ETC. 



11 



period intervening between the 
death of the body and the resurrec- 
tion of the body, or the separation 
of the spirit from the body, and 
their uniting together again. This 
judgment is passed upon the spirit 
alone. But there will come a time 
which will be after the resurrec- 
tion, when the body and spirit shall 
be reunited, when the final judg- 
ment will be passed on every man. 
This is in accordance with the vis- 
ion of the Apostle John the Eeve- 
lator. 

*• And I saw the dead, small and 
great, stand before God, and the 
books were opened, and another 
book was opened, which is the book 
of life; and the dead were judged 
out of those things which were 
written in the books, according to 
their works. 

" And the sea gave up the dead 
which were in it; and death and 
hell were cast into the lake of fire. 
That is the second death. 

" And whosoever was not found 
written in the book of life was cast 
into the lake of fire." 

That is the final judgment, which 
we will all receive after we have 
performed this our earthly mission. 

The Savior did not finish his 
work when he expired on the cross, 
when he cried out "It is finished." 
He, in using those words, had no 
reference to his great mission to 
the earth, but merely to the agonies 
which he suffered. The Christian 
world I know say he alluded to the 
great work of redemption. This, 
however, is a great mistake, and is 
indicative of the extent of their 
knowledge of the plan* of life and 
3alvation. I say he referred merely 
to the agonies of death, and the 
sufferings He felt for the wicked- 
ness of men who would go so far 
aa to crucify their Redeemer. It 
was this feeling, and this alope^ that 



prompted him to cry out in the 
agony of His soul, " It is finished," 
and then He expired. 

But his work was not completed ; 
it was in fact only begun. If he 
had stopped here instead of his 
being the Savior of the world,, he, 
as well as all mankind, would have 
perished irredeemably, never to 
have come forth out of the grave ; 
for it was designed from the begin- 
ning that he should be the first 
fruits of them that slept; it was 
part of the great plan that he 
should burst the bands of death, 
and gain the victory over the grave. 
If therefore his mission had ceased 
when he gave up the ghost, the 
world would have slumbered in the 
dust in interminable death, never 
to have risen to live again. It was 
but a §mall part of the mission of 
the Savior that was performed^ 
when he suffered death ; it was inr 
deed the lesser part ; the greate 
had yet to be done. It was in hi^ 
resurrection from the tomb, in his 
coming forth from death unto life, 
in uniting again the spiiit and the 
body that we might become a liv- 
ing soul ; and when this was done, 
then he was prepared to return to 
the Father. And all this was in 
strict accordance with the great 
plan of salvation. For even Christ 
himself, though without sin, was 
required to observe the outward 
ordinance of baptism, in order td 
fulfill all righteousness. So after 
his resurrection from the dead> 
he could return to the Father, there 
to receive the welcome plaudit, 
" Well done, you have done your 
work, you have accomplished your 
mission ; you have wrought out 
salvation for all the children of 
Adam ; you have redeemed all men 
from the grave ; and through their 
obedience to the ordinances of the 
Gospel which you have established^ 



12 



JOUR^NAl. OF DISCOURSES. 



they can also be redeemed from the 
spiritual death, again to be brought 
back into our presence, to partake of 
glory, exaltation and eternal life 
•irith us." And so it will be when 
we come forth out of the grave, 
when the trump shall sound, and 
these our bodies shall rise and our 
spirits shall enter into them again, 
and they shall become a living soul 
no more to be dissolved or separated, 
but to become inseparable, immortal, 
eternal. 

Then we shall stand before the 
bar of God to be judged. So says 
the Bible, so says the Book of Mor- 
mon, and so say the revelations 
which have come direct to us through 
the Prophet Joseph Smith. And 
then those that have not been sub- 
ject and obedient to the celestial law 
will not be quickened by the cele- 
stial glory And those that have 
not been subject and obedient to the 
terrestrial law will not be quickened 
by the terrestrial glory. And those 
that have not been subject and obe- 
dient to the telestial law, will not be 
quickened by a telestial gloiy ; but 
they will have a kingdom without 
glory. ' While the sons of perdition, 
men who had once been in posses- 
sion of the light and truth, but who 
turned away from it and deny the 
Lord, putting him to an open shame, 
as did the Jews when they crucified 
him and said, *'Let his blood be upon 
us and upon our children ; men who 
consent, against light and knowledge, 
to the shedding of innocent blood, it 
will be said unto them, "Depart ye 
cursed, I never knew you ; depart 
into the second death, even banish- 
ment from the presence of God for 
ever and ever, where the wormdieth 
not and the fire is not quenched, 
from whence there is no redemption, 
neither in time nor in eternity." 
Herein is the difference between the 
second and the first death, herein 



man became spiritually dead ; for 
from the first death he may be re- 
deemed by the blood of Christ 
through obedience to the laws and 
ordinances of the Gospel, but from 
the second there is no redemption 
at all. 

We read in the Book of Doctrine 
and Covenants, that the devil 
tempted Adam and he partook of 
the forbidden fruit, and trangressed 
the commandment, wherein he be- 
came subject to the will of the devil 
because he yielded unto temptation, 
and because of this transgression 
he became spiritually dead, which is- 
the first death "even that same 
death which is the lasjb death, which 
is spiritual, which shall be pro- 
nounced upon the wicked when I 
shall say, depart ye cursed !" — Book 
of Doc. and Gov, p. 147. 

But ttIio will receive such pun- 
ishment ? Only those that deserve 
it, those that commit the unpardon- 
able sin. 

Then there is the banishment of 
the transgressor, (not the sons of 
perdition) into the prison house, a 
place of punishment, with no exal» 
tation, no increase, no dominion, no 
power whose inhabitants after their 
redemption may become servants of 
them that have obeyed the laws of 
God and kept the faith. That will 
be the punishment of such as reject 
the truth, but sin not unto death. 

But as touching the terrestrial 

kingdom, as the stars differ from 

each other in lustre, so those who 

I enter into the telestial kingdom 

differ in glory. 

" Well, now, how is it witb 
Brother Clayton 1 He was not with- 
ont faults in the flesh T But what 
were theyl Were they such as par- 
took of a deadly character % Did he 
ever deny the Lord ? Did he ever 
deny the Prophet Joseph, or did he 
deny the truth or prove unfaithful 



LAW OF CELESTIAL MARRIAGE, ETC. 



IS 



to his covenants or to his brethren 1 
No, never. I can in all truthfulness 
before God and man bear that testi- 
mony of our departed brother, for I 
have known him from my youth. 
Yet, he was not without his failings 1 
but then, they were of that nature 
that injured nobody perhaps except 
himself and his own family. But 
notwithstanding his unflinching in- 
tegrity, and his long life of fidelity 
and usefulness, let me say to you, 
that for his faults, however trivial, 
or important, he must answer. But 
he will be able to pay his debt and 
to answer for his failings, and he will 
come forth and all that has been 
pronounced upon his head by 
Joseph Smith and by the Apostles, 
will be confirmed upon him 
through all eternity; and there is 
HO power on the earth or in hell 
that can deprive him of them. For 
as it is said — and, indeed, I need 
not refer you to the revelation on 
celestial marriage; but will quote 
from the words of Christ, as given 
in the New Testament. " Where- 
fore I say unto you, all manner of 
sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven 
unto men, but the blasphemy against 
the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven 
unto men, • # * neither in 
this world, neither in the world to 
come.'' Our departed friend and 
brother whose remains are now be- 
fore us, has not sinned unto death. 
I would not have it understood, for 
a moment, that I or any of the 
Elders attend funerals to smother 
over the weaknesses of the departed 



dead, trying to make it appear that 
they were without faults, and there- 
fore will not have to answer for any. 
We know that every man will be 
judged according to the deeds done 
in the body ; and whether our sin 
be against our own peace and happi- 
ness alone or whether it affects that 
of others, as the Lord lives we will 
have to make satisfaction or atone- 
ment ; God requires it, and it is ac- 
cording to his providences, and we 
cannot escape it. We must comply 
with the provisions of the law, which 
Brother Clayton in my belief, is 
abundantly able to do. And when 
this shall have been done, he will 
come forth to receive his crown,, his 
glory, dominion and kingdom, and 
the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and 
Jacob which have been pronounced 
upon his head. 

Then let me say to the family of 
our deceased brother. Follow in the 
footsteps of your husband and father, 
excepting wherein he may have 
manifested the weaknesses of the 
flesh ; imitate his staunch integrity 
to the cause of Zion, and his fidelity 
to his brethren ; be true as he was 
true, be firm as he was firm, never 
flinching, never swerving from the 
truth as GoTl has revealed it to us ; 
and I will promise you, in the name 
of the Lord, that you will rise, to 
meet your husband and father, in 
the morning of the first resurrection^ 
clothed wiih glory, immortality and 
eternal lives. Which may God 
grant in the name of Jesus. Amen. 



14 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



A FUNERAL SERMON BY PRESIDE .S[T JOHN TAYLOR, 

Preached over the Remains of Joseph M. Cain, Son op Joseph and 
Elizabeth Cain, in the 14th Ward Assembly Rooms, Salt Lake 

City, Feb. 8, 1880. 



(Reported by Geo, F, Gibbs,,) 



We are met here to-day, as we fre- 
quently have to do, to pay the last 
tribute of respect to the departed 
dead. Time with all its changes and 
mutations brings us face to face very 
frequently with the kind of thing 
that is now presented before us. We 
come into the world, we struggle a 
little while with the affairs incident 
to human nature, and by and by the 
struggles of the present are over. 
The weary wheels of life stand still 
and we go into another state of 
existance. As wise, pnident and in- 
telligent men it behooves us really 
to comprehend the true position we 
occupy in relation to the past, in re- 
lation to the present, as well as to 
the future. 

Speaking of the past, we all of us 
have had our ideas about a pre-ex- 
istence. We consider that God is 
Father of the spirits of all flesh, not 
only of those that fear him, but of 
those who do not fear him, and who 
disobey His laws. He is the father 
of the spirits of all, and as is spoken 
of in the Scriptures, " We are His 
offispring " and emanated from him. 
We came into this world to attend 
to certain things which are designed 



by the Almighty and which in the 
programme of the Lord it was ne- 
cessary that we should take our part 
in. We had very little to do with 
our coming here ; all things move 
along naturally But we have some- 
thing to do, however, with our af- 
fairs while we are here, in a state of 
probation. But about our leaving, 
in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, 
or more than that even, we have 
little to do with it. 

There are certain inscrutable pur- 
poses associatied with the divine pro- 
gramme which men generally do 
not comprehend. We know a very 
little of the world in which we live, 
and of its inhabitants. But what 
and how little do we know in rela- 
tion to the past, or in regard to any- 
thing pertaining to the future *? Who 
can comprehend the purposes of God 
pertaining to the organization of the 
earth, say to commence with, and the 
peopling of it, and the maintaining 
of it, or in regard to the position of 
the nations and their destiny ; or in 
regard to the world itself and the vari- 
ous changes yet to transpire upon it. 
And then, who of us knows any- 
thing definite pertaining to ourselves. 



A FUNERAL SERMON. 



15 



or about the impulses by which we 
are governed and actuated, or of the 
powers of darkness, or the powers of 
light, as the case may be, with 
which we are surrounded] How 
many of us comprehend these things] 
Very few ind,eed. It is the design 
of God, as I understand it, in our 
coming here, to give unto us bodies, 
that the spirits that were created 
before, might have tabernacles where- 
in they might live and exist, and 
move and act, as corporeal substances, 
if you please ; and that according to 
certain inscrutable laws of God per- 
taining to the human family and the 
future destiny of man, and the world 
in which we live ; that through the 
union of the body and spirit, and 
their obedience to certain laws 
which the great Eloheim has given 
for the guidance of His people, that 
they might be more exalted, more 
dignified, more glorious than it would 
be possible for them to be, had they 
not come here to sojourn in these 
tabernacles, and combat with the 
various evils to which the flesh is 
heir. 

Under these circumstances, from 
time to time, he has made known 
his will to men. He has in differ- 
ent ages raised up men with whom 
he communicated, and to whom he 
revealed his will, and under certain 
circumstances to whom he commit- 
ted his law, and he has made them 
his mouthpiece to the human fami- 
ly, and through them has revealed 
life and its principles, and has un- 
veiled the heavens and given man a 
knowledge of the future, and has 
shown his condemnation, or evinced 
his hatred to evil and iniquity of 
every kind, and has shown through 
them the evil effects of pursuing this 
course. These men, in the different 
ages in which they lived, warned 
the people and the nations in regard 
to evil, and have tried to incite them 



to good, and held out to them the 
principle of lives, eternal lives here- 
after to be obtained in the celestial, 
terrestrial or telestial kingdoms. 
These men and these principles, 
which have been introduced by the 
Almighty, have had their effect 
more or less among the human fa- 
mily. But there has been associated 
with this a spirit of antagonism to 
God, to virtue, to truth, to purity, to 
holiness, aud to those principles that 
were calculated to elevate and exalt 
humanity through time and through 
the eternities that are to come. 
Thus two influences have been at 
work among the nations and among 
the various peoples of the earth in 
the different ages. Sometimes it 
seems mysterious to the human 
family that things should be as they 
have been. They do not compre- 
hend the meaning or the purposes 
or designs, or even the law of God 
in fact, some of these laws have not 
been made known generally t» 
mankind. Permit me to say there 
are eternal laws that exist with the 
Gods in the eternal worlds, and from 
which they cannot depart,. and t» 
which they are bound in all their 
acts, I was g9ing to say as we are, 
but I will say not as we are, but as 
we ought to be, subject to the law of 
God in all our acts, and that it is 
absolutely necessary that men should 
be placed in a state of trial, in a state 
of probation. It was just as neces- 
sary that Satan, if you please, should 
exercise his power as that God should 
exercise his. This is a thing that is 
not always understood by men, and, 
in fact, they understand very littl© 
about it. We are told, however, 
that " it must needs be that there is 
an opposition in all things," good 
and evil, light and darkness, happi 
ness and misery, con'uption and in- 
corruptiou, life and death, heaven 
and hell. 



16 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



We talk about a futurity and about 
heaven, of which men have certain 
vague ideas. Some think heaven is 
beyond the bounds of time and 
space. It is a kind of poetic thought, 
which sounds very well ; but where 
is such a place ? When we reflect 
upon it in our sober moments, we 
naturally conclude that it is no- 
where. But men have entertamed 
singular notions and ide^s pertaining 
to the future, many of which have 
been erratic, foolish and ignorant ; 
and the fact is, it is impossible for 
man, unaided by the revelations of 
God, to comprehend anything about 
him. Job says : " Canst thou by 
searching find out God] Canst thou 
find out the Almighty unto perfec- 
tion? It is as high as heaven; what 
canst thou do? deeper than hell, 
what canst thou know f 

We are told emphatically that no 
man knows the things of God but by 
the Spirit of God. And how are 
they to become acquainted with 
these things, unless they are in 
possession of that light and that 
spirit which is capable of imparting 
to them that intelligence ? A know- 
ledge of God is out of the ken of 
uninspired humanity. Who can 
draw aside the vail of the in- 
visible world ? Who can pene- 
trate into the future and look, 
as some men have, through the dark 
vista of future ages and see the 
purposes of God roll on with all 
their majesty and glory to consum- 
mation ; of which, they nor we, nor 
anybody can know anything about, 
except by and under the influence of 
that spirit ? They cannot know it ; 
it is out of their reach. 

Well, what then in regard to the 
things of men % We see men bick- 
ering and quarreling over religious 
matters, over things really that they 
are just as ignorant of as babes are. 



They contend about certain princi- 
ples, dogmas and theories, and get 
up debates about them, oft times 
causing troubles in families, and 
neighbourhoods ; often persecuting; 
one another and even putting one 
another to death concerning things 
that they knew nothing about them- 
selves. This is aU very foolish. 

How does God feel towards the 
human family ? He feels that they 
are his children. What, all, ? Yes ; 
the white, the black, the red, the 
Jew, the Gentile, the heathen, the 
Christian and all classes and grades 
of men ; he feels interested in all, he 
has done so from the beginning, and 
will continue to do so to the end. 
He will do all that lies in his power 
for the benefit, blessing, ank exalta- 
tion of the human family, both in 
time and eternity, consonant with 
those laws and those eternal princi- 
ples that I have referred to : from 
which he himself cannot deviate^ 
We sometimes get up feelings about 
parties that do not think as we do, 
and do not believe as we do, and we 
are apt to cast aspersions upon them. 
Why, these are their affairs. What 1 
would you allow everybody to wor- 
ship as they please ? , Certainly. 
What? If you knew they were in 
error? Certainly? I would not 
wish to control the human mind -, 
I would not control the actions of 
men, God does not do it, he leaves 
them to their own agency to combat 
with the trials, temptations, adver- 
sities and evils of every kind that 
are in the world, to which humanity 
is, or can be incident. He put with- 
in their reach, however, certain prin- 
ciples and would like to lead them 
to himself if they would be led. IT 
not, he then does the very best withi 
them that he can. In some in- 
stances he has had to come out, as it 
is said, " in his fierce wrath," upoa 



A FUNERAL SERMON. 



17 



the peoples and upon the nations of 
the earth ; and many other things 
have been in his programme ; be- 
cause this life, with its few years is 
only comparatively, as it were, a few 
moments in the estimation of Jeho- 
vah. It is but a span, a dream, or a 
tale, that is told and passed away. 
But in regard to the eternities that 
are to come, and the realities we 
have to do with hereafter, that is 
another affair. I have heard men 
talk about the cruelty of God, just 
like some foolish people talk about 
their fathers. Who knows anything 
about God ] Did you ever see him 1 
Some think it was very cruel in him 
to destroy the world at the flood. 
How do they know bi^t that it was 
the greatest boon he could confer 
upon that wicked people ? How do 
they know but that it was one of the 
richest blessings he could pour out 
upon their h^ads in sweeping them 
off the earth and sending them into 
another existence and then shutting 
them up in prison after that. How do 
you know 1 Certainly you do not 
know that it is not the case. 

Let us reason for a few moments 
and look at things about as they are ; 
I will tell them as they are and as 
they were. Satan before the days of 
the* flood obtained the ascendancy 
over many men and brought them 
under his rule and dominion. He 
started in with Cain and made a 
murderer of him the very first thing 
he did and taught him many princi- 
ples of evil, and he was called the 
great Master Mahon. Under the 
influence and power of Satan he 
operated to thwart the designs of 
God and to stop the purposes of 
Jehovah. Satan first started in the 
heavens, but was cast out and suc- 
ceeded in obtaining a great ascend- 
ancy over the minds of the people, 
whom he caused to corrupt them- 
selves, leading them into evil, folly 

No. 2. 



vanity and corruptions of every kind, 
so much so we are told that the "ima- 
ginations and thoughts of their hearts 
were only evil and that continually." 
What had to be done then 1 There 
were other parties interested besides 
those upon the , earth. There were 
innumerable hosts of spirits in the 
heavens that had to come and take 
tabernacles. Was it proper and 
righteous, was it equitable, was it 
according to the principles of justice 
that those that were pure with their 
Father in the heavens should come 
and take bodies and be forced 
to fenter into tabernacles, that were 
the offspring of those corrupt beings 
who were then peopling the earth ] 
If I or you had been there should we 
not have spoken to our Father and 
said, " Father, do you see the cor- 
ruptions that exist upon the face of 
the earth 1" Yes, I know it." "Is it 
just that we should have to go into 
these corrupt, contaminated, evil, 
wicked bodies to receive our earthly 
parentage from them ; and be sub- 
ject to that power and iniquity in 
all its phases for thousands or mil- 
lions of years to come f " No," says 
He, " it is not, and I will sweep them 
away, I will destroy them ; they 
possess the power, while living to 
propagate their species, but I will 
deprive them of that power. I will 
send in the floods upon them, and 
then I will shut them up in prison." 
Did he do it 1 He did. But before 
He did it, he had the Gospel preached 
to them as it is now being preached, 
and men clothed upon with the 
priesthood were sent forth among 
the peoples to proclaim to them the 
great principles of life, and 
they had • the Gospel and the 
revelations of God and commu- 
nion with their heavenly Father. 
Enoch was a preacher of righteous- 
ness, and numerous Elders at that 
time were sent forth among the peo- 

Vol. XXI. 



18 



JOURNAL OK DLSCOURSES. 



pie and proclaimed the principles of 
eternal truth and gathered the peo- 
ple together, so that every man who 
would fear God and obey his law 
and be governed by the principles of 
righteousness, might have the full 
blessings of the everlasting Gospel ; 
and He gathered them together be- 
fore destruction came. They w^ere 
gathered unto Zion, and that Zion 
was caught up, by the power of God, 
away from the earth, and then the 
avenging hand of God came upon 
the corrupt inhabitants that were 
left because of their iniquities. 
Would it be proper to allow corrup- 
tions and wickedness to predominate, 
and the powers of Satan to have the 
presiding influence, and God to be 
left out of the question? No. 
Therefore He accomplished what He 
did. Did He injure them 1 No ; 
they would only have lived a few 
years longer anyhow; but He did 
not want them to perpetuate that 
kind of folly, wickedness, and cor- 
ruption that then prevailed, and said 
" I will stop it," and he stopped it. 
Now, what about the future cf such 
people. We may have curious ideas 
about them. Some think that they 
are going to remain in hell for ever 
and ever. But they were in the 
hands of God, and He did right by 
tbem. By and by when Jesus came, 
what did he do ? As soon as He got 
through with His short mission upon 
the earth, " He was put to death in 
the flesh, and was quickened by the 
Spirit, and went and preached unto 
the spirits in prison, which sometime 
were disobedient when once the long 
suffering of God waited in the days 
of Noah ;" that they might be placed 
on the same plane and . in the same 
position that others were ; that they 
might obtain their proper status in 
the eternal worlds, and be rewarded 
with all that was possible for them 
to enjoy, according to the eternal 



laws and inscrutable justice of Jeho- 
vah. Thus justice was satisfied, the 
law vindicated, the wicked punished, 
the unborn and pure protected and 
provided for, anti finally, the im- 
prisoned released from their bondage 
and salvation extended to the pri- 
soners. Was there anything wrong 
in that. " Yes," says the ignoramus 
who does not know anything about 
it, ** it was very cruel." Well, the 
greatest cruelty there is about such 
men is that they are cruelly igno- 
rant and do not know what they 
are talking about. 

Now in regard to other things. 
The Gospel has been sent from time 
to time among the people. And 
what does it^do 1 It brings life and 
immortality to light. Has God ever 
given up his idea in relation to the 
inhabitants of the earth ] No ; but 
He has in the different ages given 
certain laws and principles to certain 
classes of individuals. It is said 
that God has made of one blood all 
nations of the earth, yet there are 
certain classes of men among the na- 
tions just as much as there are cer- 
tain classes of metals. Everything 
is not gold, everything is not silver, 
everything is not brass ; everything 
is not iron ; all hold their. proper po- 
sition and have their relative value. 
So in regard to the heavens. There 
are bodies celestial, there are bodies 
terrestrial, there are bodies telestial 
We are told there is one glory of the 
sun, another glory of the moon, an- 
other glory of the. stars, and that at 
one star diflers from another star in 
glory so also shall it be in the resur- 
rection. This distinction arises from 
the acts of men, as it is said '^ Ye 
are servants to whom you yield your- 
selves servants to obey." 

Now what are we here for I What 
are the things we profess to do 1 I 
will ask what did Jesus seek to do 
when he was here 1 Did he come to 



A FUNERAL SERMON. 



19 



•corse mankind t No, but to bless 
them ; he came to seek and to save 
those that were lost ; He came to 
to unfold 'the principles of eternal 
truth, to bring life and immortality 
to light by the Gospel. He came, 
■according to the eternal decree of 
the Almighty, to offer his life as a 
sacrifice, as an atonement for the 
mns of the human family. He came 
to introduce principles that ema- 
nated from God to organize his 
«hurch upon the earth, and to en- 
dow his disciples with authority that 
they might go forth as His : 
messengers to proclaim the prin- 
^iples of eternal truth to the 
human family. Hence says he, " Go 
ye into all the world and preach the 
Oospel to every creature. He that 
believeth and is baptized shall be 
.saved ; but he that believeth not 
shall be damned." This is one of 
those eternal decrees that you cannot 
get away from. And then we talk 
■about the damnation of hell ; and 
people have as strange notions about 
that as they have about other things. 
I have read statements from men 
which were really terrible when de- 
picting the state of the damned. It 
is bad enough, but it is not the kind 
of thing they represent.. 1 remember, 
too, reading a piece of poetry, which 
Tan something like this : 

Imfinite yoars in torment must I spend, 
And never, never, never have an end. 
Ah ! must I lie, in ruinous despair, 
As many years as atoms in the air ; 
When these are past as many thousand 

more, 
As grains •( sand upon the ocean shore. 
When all these doleful years are spent in 

pain, 
And multiplied by millions yet again. 
Till numbers drown the thought, could I 

snppose 
That then ray dismal years would have a 

close, 
This would afford a hope ; but ah ! I shiver 
To ponder on this dreadful wor^ forever ; 
I in this burning anilf blaspheming lie, 
Time la no more, out vast eternity." 



This may be poetic. It is certainlj 
grim and terrible; but it is not true. 
Is there justice? Yes. Eternal 
justice*? Yes. These men that I 
have referred to suffered eternal 
justice; they were destroyed by the 
Almighty, and at last were saved 
again by the Almighty. Have we 
eternal punishment 1 Yes. What 
is it 1 It is God's punishment. Are 
there everlasting prisons) Yes. 
What are they 1 God's prisons. Do 
people stay in them forever ? No. 
Not in all of them. We have prisons 
upon the earth, penitentiaries, in 
which to confine people for one, five, 
ten or twenty years, as the case may 
be ; and when their time expires 
they come out ; but the prison is 
there still. Is it an everlasting 
prison ? You may call it so if you 
please ; but people do not stay in it 
always. Has God a way to manage 
his affairs 1 Certainly ; the Judge 
of all the earth ought to be at least 
as capable in the management of his 
affairs, as mortal men are in theirs. 
We have come upon this stage of 
action, and are called to preach. 
And God has revealed his will, and 
some people seem to be very angry 
about it. Joseph Smith had revela- 
tions from God. Do I know it ] Yes, 
I do. Could he help it? Suppose 
the Lord were to speak to any of 
you, could you help it? or if an 
angel were to come to you, could 
you help it 1 No, you could not. 
Now, you might do what they tell 
you, or not; that is optional. If 
you did what they told you, how- 
ever, the world and the devil would 
say you were a fool ; and they have 
always said so in every age of the 
world ; and the devil and the world 
have always been opposed to God 
and his law, and they would perse- 
cute you as they persecuted him. 
Very well, do we have need to fightl 
I do not I thank God for the %ht 



20 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



and intelligence he has revealed unto 
• OS, through the medium of the ever- 
lasting Gospel. Gould we have it if 
Ok)d had not revealed iti No. 
Who knew that God lived ? Nobody 
until Joseph Smith came, and the 
Lord spoke to him pointing out to 
him his sod, saying, '' This is my 
beloved Son, hear him." Who knew 
anything about it ? Nobody on the 
wide earth. Gould he have helped 
it if he wanted to 1 I do not think 
he wanted to much ; I do not think 
anybody need want to much, if God 
would condescend to reveal his will; 
I do not think they would be very 
desirous for him to hold his peace. 
It is true a number of the children 
of Israel did when they heard the 
thunderings on Mount Sinai They 
said to Moses, speak to us ; but do 
not let the Lord speak to us, lest 
we die. The fact is, they were not 
prepared for it. 

Now then, this Gospel is intro- 
duced for what] To spread life 
and salvation to the world. God 
blessed Abraham in the same way. 
What fori In thee and thy seed 
shall all the families of the earth be 
blessed. I will give unto you my 
law, I will reveal unto you the prin- 
ciples of eternal truth ; I will open 
the mysteries of heaven to your 
view, and you shall gaie uyon me 
and upon my purposes. I will in- 
struct you in the principles of life 
and salvation, and I will tell you 
what to do with those principles 
when I shall have committed them 
to you. As he spake unto Moses, 
he told him to select a man to be 
his mouth-piece ; and said, Moses 
shall be a God unto you, and I will 
speak through him. That is it. 
Now, he has done the same in this 
day, and restored the same princi- 
pies, and has sent forth a message 
to the nations of the earth, and 
gathered together men who had 



the manhood, integrity and de- 
sire to carry out the purposes oF 
God, and who would be valiant for- 
those principles which he had re*- 
vealed ; and he prepared them for 
his purpose ; and if he had not sus- 
tained them they would not be here- 
^ to-day. Are these men enemies to 
the world? If teaching men the 
truth is enmity, they have done- 
that; if going without purse or 
scrip, traveling among the nations 
to proclaim to them the glad tidings- 
of salvation is enmity, they may" 
possess it. But impelled by the- 
spirit of eternal truth and en> 
lightened by the spirit of the 
Almighty and comprehending the 
position they occupied, they 
have gone forth among the people 
of the earth and proclaimed to them 
the glad tidings of salvation, and 
God has taken care of them. Verj 
well. Anything great about this? 
No ; it is simply performing a duty. 
I have traveled hundreds and thous- 
ands of miles in this way myself^ 
trusting in God. Was I ever for- 
saken 1 No. Did I ever need any- 
thing 1 No, not that I did not get. 
Did I ever have to go hungry, naked 
or destitute ? No, the Lord alwa3r8- 
provided and raised up means in 
every kind of way, and I did not 
beg either. I would like anybody 
to tell me when I ever begged any- 
thing from them either here or any- 
where else. But I have begged of 
the Lord, for my religion teaches me- 
to go to him* 

Now then, we have a work to do*. 
Do we wish to villify anybody in 
our midst 1 No. Do we see wicked^ 
corrupt and abominable men among^ 
us? Yes. What will we do with 
them ? Leave them in the hands of 
God, he will manage them ; it is for 
lis to do right, to work righteous- 
ness and pursue a course right be- 
fore the Lord. 



THE OBJECT OF GATHERING, ETC. 



21 



I see that time is passing. My 
mind has been led rather discur- 
sively on some of these matters, 
arising partly from circumstances 
with which we are surrounded. 
How is it with this young man here? 
Well, I wish it were otherwise ; I 
wish he had lived a very good Saint, 
which, however, he did not do. 
We have not come here to in- 
dulge, in any kind of false sentimen- 
tality. He was a drunkard ; that is 
a truth and many of you know it. 
When you have said that, can you 
say anything worse 1 That is bad 
enough, but I do not know anything 
evil about the young man further 
than that. I knew his father. I 
baptized him thousands of mUes 
away from here, in the neighbour- 
hood of 40 years of ago, when he 
was a much younger man than he 
(his son) is now. His father lived 
up to the Gospel, and died strong in 
the faith ; and his mother has been 
a very good woman, so far as I know ; 
I have never known anything 
against her. This boy has caused 
her a great deal of trouble ; and I 
have been sorry for him. Well, 
should we tell things 1 Yes, always ; 
that day is not far distant when the 
coverings will be taken from the 
face of all people, and we shall all 
stand naked, as it were, before God 
— both you and I and this young 
man. Well this boy, — I call him a 
boy, he is ^ young man, and is a 
nephew of mine by marriage ; and I 
would not want to say anything 
about him on that account, neither 
would I falsify the young man on 
that account ; but let us tell things 
and understand them as they are. 
Let me call the attention of the 
youth present. Would you like to 
be lying in this position, under 
these cu*cumstances 1 You would 
not 1 Then let us look at things as 
they are. What next ] We will 



I do the best we can ; and what is it) 
I There is a curious saying that Paul 
made on a cer1;ain occasion, in speak- 
ing about the Jews and the Gentiles : 

" What advantage hath the Jewsl 
or what profit is there of circum- 
cision 1 

" Much eveiy way ; chiefly, that 
unto them were committed the ora- 
cles of God. 

"Whose are the fathers, and of 
whom as concerning the flesh Christ 
came, who is over all, God blessed 
for ever," etc. 

Is it a sorrowful thing to see our 
youth pass away as he has done? 
Yes. He did not die drunk 1 No, 
but that was the cause of it. We 
may as well talk honestly about 
him. What next ? , He -has gone. 
Has he hurt anybody 1 No, only by 
his example. Has he hurt his 
mother 1 Yes. I do not think he 
did sin while his father was living ; 
but since then he has caused his 
mother many a sorrowful hour? 
Did I feel sorry when he died 1 No. 
Why 1 Because I knew it was much 
better for him to leave the earth 
than to be in the position he has 
been. 

Now, what about the future in 
in relation to these things ! What 
advantage has the Jew over the 
Gentile ] Much every way. Their's 
were the fathers ; and unto that ^ 
people were committed the oracles 
of God. Their's were the fathers — 
we have fathers that are living in 
the eternal worlds ; fathers that are 
interested in our welfare ; fathers 
that are associated with the beings 
that exist behind the vail ; fathers 
who are operating with us in trying 
to bring about the great purposes of 
God and the salvation of the human 
family. Can anything be done? 
Yes, and all that can be done will 
be done, but the future has got to 
be left with the Almighty in regard 



22 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



to these matters. But we can do a 
great deal according to principles 
that Ood has revealed to us, and 
these things will be done, as far as 
they can be. 

I would say, I do not utter these 
things to cause any unpleasant feel- 
ing in the bosom of the family; they 
cannot help it. If I could have 
helped it, I would ; if the mother 
could have helped it, she would; if 
the sister could have helped it, she 
would; if the friends could have 
helped it, they would. But we can- 
not control circumstances. 

We are now talking not to the 
dead, but to the living. I would 
say. Let us avoid these evils, they 
lead down to death ; let us seek to 
live our religion, to obey the 
laws of God and keep his command- 
ments. And in regard to the. future, 
we leave that in the hands of the 



Almighty who doeth all things well j. 
and we will do all we can to promote 
tFe comfort of the living and' the 
dead. We are doing a great deal 
for the accomplishment of this ob- 
ject ; we are building temples and 
administering in them, and we are 
doing it in obedience to the law or 
God, and in consonance with the feel- 
ing of the patriarchs and apostles 
and men of God who have lived be- 
fore. And we. will try to go on and 
live our religion and keep the com- 
mandments of God that we may re- 
joice together hereafter. And I 
would say to the mother. Let your 
heart be comforted for you shall be 
blessed both in time and in eternity. 
And I say unto all of you. Live your 
religion, keep the commandments ot 
God, for in that only there is safety. 
God bless you in time and in eter- 
nity. Amen. 



DISCOUKSE BY ELDER ERASTUS SNOW, 

DELIVERED AT BRIGHAM CITY, ON SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 1879. 



(Reported by Qeo. F, Oibhs.) 



REST SIGNIFIES CHANGE — TIME AS RELATED TO ETERNITY — ^WONDERFXH*^ 
MECHANISM OF THE HUMAN BODY— INTEGRITY IN THE FACE OF 
OPPOSITION. 



I feel somewhat weary in body 
from the effects of labor and infirm- 
ities ; and were I to consult my own 
feelings I would be inclined to waive 
this privilege, and sit and listen to 



/ my brethren. Indeed, I may say I 
rather counted upon a rest in com- 
ing to Brigham City ; yet I never 
allow myself to shrink from bearing 
that portion that properly attaches 



REST SIGNIFIES CHANGE, ETC. 



2a' 



me in life to the calling and duties 
devolving upon me. I feel that we 
are all here in a shool, that we have 
a work to perform ; and if when we 
shall have do^e that work we shall 
be satisfied with it, we will not re- 
gret having worn ourselves out in 
accomplishing it. But on the con- 
trary we shall rejoice at our success 
in having got safely through and en- 
tered into the •* rest " which is pre- 
pared for the people of God in the 
future state. This is a scriptural 
phrase, implying that there is a rest 
beyond for the people of God. But 
I have sometimes thought that 
strictly speaking rest was only a 
change, and that a change was rest ; 
because to be absolutely at rest, to 
be entirely free from labor and care 
would be inconsistent with our ex- 
istence ; in such a condition our 
being would be a blank, a nonentity. 
The course of God, we are told, by 
the prophet Nephi, is one eternal 
round ; that, like eternity, it has 
neither beginning nor end, and is 
illustrated in the Book of Abraham 
by the hieroglyphic of the circle. 
You may start upon this ring at any 
given point, and in traversing it you 
will come to the same point — it is 
without beginning, without end. 

We sometimes speak of eternity 
in contradistinction to time ; and 
often say, " through time and into 
eternity;" and again "from eternity 
to eternity," which is simply an- 
other form of expressing the same 
idea, and " pass through time into 
eternity." In other words, time is 
a short period allotted to man in his 
probationary state — and we use the 
word time in contradistinction to 
the word eternity, merely for the 
accommodation of man in his finite 
sphere, that we may comprehend 
and learn to measure periods. And 
for this 'purpose the Lord gave unto 
Adam his reckoning after the move- 



ments of the planets, which would 
appear to him stationary, or at least 
comparatively so, making a suitable 
standard by which man in his mortal 
state may measure periods and count 
out the days and the months and 
the years and the cycles. 

The Scriptures speak of a time 
"when time shall be no more." And 
the Apostle John in his visions, 
while banished to the Isle of Patmos, 
heard the angel say, " time shall be 
no more." We may not fully com- 
prehend the meaning and the pur- 
port of this expression. All phrases 
or expressions whether used by men, 
angels or God have a relative mean- 
ing, as one thing is compared with 
another ; and to understand the full 
force of them, we must understand 
that to which it has reference by 
comparison. I simply understand 
by this, that so far as we are con- 
cerned, time will be no more when 
we shall be merged into eternity, 
and we cease to reckon our periods 
by the diurnal revolutions of the 
earth, and the changes of the moon, 
etc.; when we shall enter into a 
sphere where we can mingle with 
the gods and become acquainted 
with their reckoning, and the eter- 
nal periods or cycles of revolutions 
of numberless creations in space, 
which to-day the most profound 
astronomers of the earth are unable 
to fathom or mark their place of be- 
ginning. And this is called eternity 
by man, and, as far as man is con- 
cerned, is in contradistinction to 
other periods and modes of reckon- 
ing known and in use among the 
uods. For they have their periods 
and reckoning as well as we, oidy on 
a vast and, to us, incomprehensible 
scale. We are in a state of progres- 
sion, very small beginnings, but on- 
ward and upward for a more exalted 
sphere, in which they move. But I 
conceive of no stopping place ; I 



24 



JOURNAL OF DIS(X)URS£». 



conceive of no absolute resting place, 
but only, as before remarked, a 
change, a change in our circumstan- 
ces and conditions, and consequently 
a change in our labors. 

I speak now of man as an immor- 
tal being, having no reference to 
this earthly house of our tabernacles ; 
for this mortal house which we oc- 
cupy for the period of a few short 
years upon the earth, will not be 
associated with the immortal man — 
the god in embryo. The clothing 
we wear covers the nakedness of the 
body ; it answers a good purpose for 
a little season — until it becomes 
worn out, when it is cast aside as of 
no further use for that purpose. So 
with the outer house of our taber- 
nacles. This mortality serves the 
purposes intended for a few short 
years until it is worn out with use, 
like the farmer s agricultural imple- 
ments, like the machinist's or me- 
chfinic's tools, or any other piece of 
machinery — for the human body is 
one of the finest and most perfect 
pieces of machinery known upon the 
earth; there is none superior. In- 
deed, most of the mechanism em- 
ployed by men in various branches 
of industry is founded on the ana- 
tomical structure of the human body; 
the angles, the joints, the tendrils, 
the cords by which they are bound 
together; the wonderful construction 
not only of tlie outer portions of the 
body, but the very fine mechanism 
of the nervous system, and also that 
of the eye, the ear, and of the means 
of sensation, and that by which 
knowledge is communicated from 
one part of the body to the other. 
If the finger be abused or injured, a 
telegraphic communication is made 
to the seat of knowledge — the 
government of the body ; conveying 
the information that a finger is in 
danger ; and wherever pain is felt, 
in whatever part of the body, it is 



but the ringing of the bell of alarm, 
giving notice of a hostile attack, and 
to make preparations for defense, 
lest the enemy making the assault 
take possession of the citadel and 
destroy it. The wonderful mechan- 
ism of the nervous system, through 
which the spirit makes its impres- 
sions upon the body, is, as it were, aa 
intermediate organism between the 
fine spiritual body and the coarser 
elements of our tabernacles. And 
those who have given the most time 
and study to this wonderful machine 
are lead to fully appreciate and en- 
dorse the saying of the Psalmist, " I 
am fearfully and wonderfully made." 
Its adaptability to the uses and pur- 
poses intended, with its remarkable 
endurance when suitably guarded 
and protected against disease and 
what we term accident, is in itself 
sufficient to call forth the admiration 
of all intelligent beinsrs. We look 
upon an aged person, say, 70, 80, 90 
or 100 years old, and realize that 
there is a machine, a mechanical 
structure — ^shall we call it a model 
representing perpetual motion % Not 
exactly, but a machine that has been 
in motion say, 100 years ; a double 
action pump that has been constantly 
going, distributing the fluids of the 
sj'stem by way of keeping up a con- 
stant circulation of the blood ; some- 
times working very hard to remove 
obstructions arising from colds and 
and other causes to keep the chan- 
nels from becoming stopped up, and 
at other times working slowly. And 
the functions of the body are oft- 
times kept in such constant use for 
such a period of time without the 
touch of the mechanic to repair a 
break unless it may, perchance, be 
the surgeon's saw to remove a dis- 
abled limb that threatens to en- 
cumber the whole body, or the tying 
up of a broken artery to prevent 
the escape of the vital fluid. But 



REST SIGNIFIES CHANGE, ETC. 



25 



otherwise the most skilful physician 
is unable to make a single repair or 
improve any part or portion of it; 
and the most he can do is to give 
something to be taken into the 
stomach to effect a chemical change 
on the fluids of the system, to neu- 
tralize perhaps an excess of the acids, 
thus working a change in the quality 
of the blood, and consequently a 
change in the deposits that are being 
made in all parts of the system by 
the circulation of this fluid. But 
this wonderful machine is kept in 
motion by what power 1 We say it 
is the power of God ; we say it is in 
Him we live and move and. have 
our being. And, yet. He always 
works through means, all His won- 
derful works being performed by 
agents ; but He is not confined to 
one agent nor any special method in 
performing His works. But there 
is a spirit in this earthly tabernacle 
of ours that is relative to our 
Father and God, and who is the 
owner of this tabernacle, and 
for whom the tabernacle is orga- 
nized as his dwelling house. It is 
this spirit that keeps the functions 
of this tabernacle in motion ; when 
this spirit leaves the body, it is 
either because the Father calls it 
away, wishing to use it in another 
sphere, considering the time it has 
spent in this tabernacle sufficient for 
the purposes required, and therefore 
takes it to a higher school, through 
special design to do a special work ; 
or it may be, it has used its taber 
nacle until it is so worn out that it 
has become like a bow which has 
been long and constantly bent, — it 
has lost its elasticity ; its bones im- 
paired in strength, its muscles stif- 
fened, and the whole frame ready, 
like our old clothes, to be thrown 
aside; and the spirit comes to the 
-conclusion that it has had its run 
with this old tabernacle and that it 



is time this old garment were laid 
aside for a new one. Our Father 
comes to this conclusion and gives 
the spirit a ticket of leave, and re- 
moves it into another sphere. But 
this is all necessary as a school for 
us. The various pains and sorrows 
to be endured in life are all neces- 
sary in their time and place ; the 
trials as we term them, are all ne- 
cessary in their place, they are all a 
part of the scheme of education or 
training to prepare us for the future. 
One of the sacred writers, in speak- 
ing of Jesus, said : " For we have 
not an high priest which cannot be 
touched with the feeling of our infir- 
mities; but was in all points tempted 
like as we are, yet without sin." 
And again : " For God giveth not 
the spirit by measure unto him.'* It 
is measured out to you and me in 
the providence of the Lord ; but for 
him there was a storehouse to draw 
upon, as it were, without measure. 
He could continue to heal the sick 
and raise the dead and perform great 
and marvelous things, and yet the 
supply of vitality was not in the 
least abated. Mortals less gifted 
and less favored who should be the 
means of healing many sick by the 
power of God, would feel that in 
taking their infirmities upon them, 
they were sinking under theVeight, 
and would want to hie themselves 
away to rest and recuperate their 
exhausted frames. Jesus was an 
exception in this respect ; he took 
upon himself our infirmities and bore 
our sickness, as had been predicted 
by Isaiah the prophet. He truly 
did heal the sick wherever he went ; 
and some found that if they could 
even touch the hem of his garment 
the disease from which they suff'ered 
could be rebuked ; and one instance 
is given where this was done, in 
which case we are told, virtue went 
out of him. But notwithstanding 



^6 



JOURNAL OF DISG0URSS8. 



the great burden that he bore, to- 
gether with the vast amount of vita- 
lity that was at various times com- 
municated from him to others, he 
did not faint under the load ; his 
mortality did not give way. But no 
man, unsupported as he was, could 
have done it without sinking under 
this weight ; none other could have 
grappled with devils and cast them 
out of individuals and held them at 
bay, as he did, without suffering from 
bodily exhaustion, and therefore had 
to seek retirement and vest. He, 
however, waged war constantly, and 
was well prepared for this work, 
having an* inexhaustible source of 
strength to draw from, the Spirit 
having been given to him without 
measure. But at length the time 
came when the Father said. You 
must succumb, you must be made 
the offering. And at this dark 
hour the power of the Father with- 
drew itself measurably from him, 
and he was left to be taken by his 
enemies, and, like a lamb, was led 
to the slaughter, but he opened not 
his mouth, because his hour had 
come. And when he was led to ex- 
claim in his last agony upon the 
cross. My God, my God, why hast 
thou forsaken me ? the Father did 
not deign to answer ; the time had 
not yet come to explain it and tell 
him. But after a little, when he 
passed the ordeal, made the sacrifice, 
and by the power of God was raised 
from the dead, then all was clear, 
all was explained and comprehended 
fully. It was necessary that the 
Father should thus measurably for- 
sake his Son, leaving him to his ene- 
mies, otherwise they never could 
have fulfilled what had been prophe- 
sied concerning him. So we may 
say with others, it is only a sample 
for us to reflect upon, that may be 
equally applicable to us all in our 
times and seasons. 



It is not necessary, in the provi- 
dence of God, that we should all 
be martyrs ; it is not necessary 
that all should suffer death upon the 
cross, because it was the will of tho 
Father that Jesus should so suffer, 
neither is it necessary that all the 
Saints of this last dispensation 
should perish because our prophet 
perished, but yet it may be neces- 
sarv that some should, that a suffi- 
cient number of faithful witnesses 
of God and of his Christ should 
suffer, and even perish by the hands- 
of their enemies, to prove and show 
unto the world — the unbelieving 
and unthinking — that their testi- 
mony is true, and that they are 
ready not only to bear testimony in 
word, but in deed, to sustain and 
honor their testimony through their 
lives ; and also in their death ; and 
greater love than this no man can 
have for his friend or for his bosom 
companion, not even David and 
Jonathan, whose love for each other 
is said to have surpassed the love of 
woman. No one can give a stronger 
assurance of his devotion to the 
principles he has received and which 
he teaches to his fellowman, than 
to patiently Endure suffering, for 
their sake, and, if need be, to con- 
tinue that suffering and endurance 
even unto death. 

In the economy of heaven, it has 
been deemed necessary, at various 
periods of the world's history, that 
such witnesses of Christ should suf- 
fer death for their testimony's sake, 
and that others may yet have to suf- 
fer in our own time is probable. 
Nay, the Scriptures give us clearly 
to understand that such will be the^ 
case, that more or less will suffer, 
but to what extent the servants of 
the Lord may be called upon to thus 
suffer is not given us to know, nor 
is it necessary we should. For what 
difference does it make when we 



REST SK^NIFIES CHANGE, ETC. 



27 



have performed a good work or so 
far completed it that the Lord ac- 
cepts of it and is willing for us to 
pass behind the veil, and perhaps 
gives his consent whether we go by 
a bullet or through violence at the 
hands of our enemies, or whether it 
be by a lingering sickness*? Iipi 
most cases the former would be pre- 
ferable, so far as we are personally 
concerned, for in such the pain and 
suffering would be slight, although 
it would be calculated to shock the 
sensibilities of living friends who 
would mourn over us. 

In philosophising upon these 
things, I scarcely have a tremor or 
thought or care in relation to the 
death I may suffer, or when it shall 
come, or how it shall come. It mat- 
ters not when or where or under 
what circumstances it may be, my 
feeling is as it always has been — 
it will be all right. I take no more 
thought or care of this matter than 
the infant child does about the pre- 
paration of its food. The Lord cares 
for us and such matters, and will 
order them in their time and season. 

But there is a principle involved. 
When a man is faced by his enemies, 
when the wicked conspire against 
the righteous, threatening death 
and destruction if he do not turn 
truant and deny our God and obey 
their behests ; all this is calculated 
to try the faith of the people and 
put them to the test , as to whether 
they have more confidence in God 
and his promises, than in his Satanic 
majesty and the host of his servants 
upon the earth, who in many in- 
stances offer them what they have 
not power to give. They remind 
me of the devil when he took the 
Savior into a high mountain and 
showed him all the riches of the 
earth, promising to give him all he 
could see if he would only fall down 
and worship him. The Savior re- 



plied : "It is written. Thou shalt 
worship the Lord thy God, and him 
only shalt thou serve." He did not 
revile him by telling the poor devil 
that he did not own anything, that 
he had not the power to give what 
he proposed to ; but merely quoted 
the Scripture referred to, which was 
applicable and suitable for the occa- 
sion. And I for one propose to obey 
the command ; and this is all we 
need say to our enemies when they 
place us in similiar circumstances. 
They may say, "you are a very 
great people in your way ; you are a 
very economical and frugal people in 
your way, and are predisposed to be 
peaceful. You have redeemed the 
desert from sterility, and built up 
fine homes, and made roads, rail- 
roads, and telegraph lines, and you 
possess all the elements and natural 
advantages calculated to make a peo- 
ple prosperous and happy, and a 
nation great; and there are many 
good things to commend in you. 
But then, you have one evil existing 
and encouraged among you which 
we deplore and which we are desir- 
ous and determined to eradicate. 
Now, if you will renounce that and 
cast it from you, we will give you 
the right hand of fellowship and be 
friends, and all the fullness of the 
earth is yours ; and we will welcome 
your delegate, your representatives 
and your senators to Congress, and 
we will give them a seat by our side, 
and we will even call off our dogs of 
war, and withdraw our governor, 
and judges and marshals and attor- 
neys whom we send to fiarrass you, 
and also the little cur dogs that fol- 
low along barking at your heels ; we 
will call them off, and let you pos- 
sess the earth in peace if you will 
only deny your principles and lay 
aside those which we pronounce to 
be evil, and fall down and worship 
God as we do." Whether we will 



28 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



be true in all these things ; whether 
we have the same confidence in God, 
the God we serve, who has led us all 
our lives and been true to us in all 
conditions and circumstances, and to 
the promises made to us up to the 
present time; whether we will still 
trust in him, and face the cannon's' 
mouth, if need be, or face death in 
any form it may come, or imprison- 
ment, if that form of treatment is 
preferred, or anything that they 
have power to inflict upon us, rather 
than deny our God. " How far 
will they go," says one 1 I answer, 
just as far as our Father permits 
them, and no farther. He has set 
bounds to the waves of the ocean, 
and he has also set bounds to the 
wrath of the wicked. He controls 
the elements that war in the heavens, 
— the fearful thunderstorm — that 
darkens the firmament and that 
shakes the earth with its roar, the 
vivid lightnings that add terror to 
the scene, the tumultuous waves 
that leap and dash in the fury of 
the gale, and the earthquake that 
bellows forth its lurid flames, which 
make men tremble at the gaze. But 
He speaks, and all is still ; the 
thunders are hushed, the clouds dis- 
persed, the lightnings cease and the 
belching of the earthquake is heard 
no more ; all is peace and quiet. So 
with the wrath of man and of nations 
that may be heard raging in the 
midst of the wicked, under the con- 
trol of the prince and power of the 
air, who works and controls in the 
midst of discordant kings and rulers 
who array themselves against each 
other. Nations are at loggerheads, 
and war is proclaimed ; the energies 
of war are set in array, and misery 
and death stalk in their wake. And 
again by some slight means, the 
Lord changes the fate of nations 
and turns the fortunes of war, and 



changes the tide of events, and all 
human calculations fail. He causes 
some angel of his to put some ob- 
struction in the way of the march 
of some general and his army so that 
he arrives, perhaps, at the scene of 
battle five nAnutes too late; he 
causes a chariot wheel to fall off or 
some slight accident to happen to 
an engine of destruction, and the 
best calculations of the shrewdest 
officer and the proudest king fail, 
and their works come to nought. 
He sets up and pulls down men and 
nations at his pleasure. He did this 
in the case of the first great and proud 
monarch of the world — ^the King of 
Babylon who swayed universal scep- 
tre upon the eartb. He was a strong- 
minded, and strong-willed and 
haughty monarch ; but God taught 
him by an extraordinary and humili- 
ating experience to know that the 
Lord, the Most High God rules in 
the heavens and also controls the 
affairs of men as it pleases him. 
And his bitter experience God 
caused to be written as a warning to 
kings and rulers and the great ones 
of the^earth ; and they are lessons of 
warning equally appropriate to every 
human soul. 

I have occupied more time than' 
I intended or thought I could. I 
pray God to bless us in all our labors, 
that union, peace and love may abide 
in your midst and in your habita- 
tions, and that prosperity may attend 
you in your business, that the diffi- 
culties which annoy you and impede 
your progress may be removed and 
the dark clouds that to-day seem to 
hang over your heads, be dispersed 
and the genial warmth of the sun's 
rays again be felt among you, that 
the hearts of the Saints may be 
cheered, and those who feel the 
weight and responsibility of carry- 
ing on the work you have so nobly 



TEMPORAL CONCERNS, ETC. 



29 



undertaken, be encouraged and re- 
lieved from any apprehensions they 
might have felt in consequence of 
the misfortunes and losses you have 



recently sustained, which may Gk)d 
grant, in the name of Jesus. 
Amen. 



DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR, 

Delivered at the Semi- Annual Conference, held in the Tabernacle 

Salt Lake City, April 9, 1879. 

(Reported hy Geo, F. Gibbs,.) 



all temporal concerns need the attention of the saints — WE 
should PREPARE FOR THE EVILS COMING UPON THE EARTH — CO- 
OPERATION AND THE UNITED ORDER — FUNCTIONS OF THE TWO 
PRIESTHOODS— HOME MANUFACTURES. 



It has been very properly re- 
marked that we are becoming a great 
people, and there are a great many 
interests of a temporal, as well as 
spiritual nature, that must necessa- 
rily be attended to — ^in fact it has 
been so contemplated from the be- 
ginning. We- talk sometimes of 
earthly things : at other times we 
speak of heavenly things. Some- 
times we speak of things pertaining 
to time, a^ s^t other times of things 
pertaining TO eternity. We have to 
do with both or we could not have 
been here. And being here it is 
proper we should come to a right 
understanding in regard to the posi- 
tion we occupy ; and especially that 
we should comprehend our duties 
relating to our temporal affairs and 
by acting truthfully, honorably and 



conscientiously avoid so much aiv- 
noyance, trouble, litigation and diffi- 
culty that so frequently exists. In re- 
lation to the Gospel of the Son of 
God, it gives us information per- 
taining to our existence and to our 
general relationship to God and to 
each other, pointing out our various 
duties and responsibilities. Associ- 
ated with it is a priesthood which 
among other things is to promul- 
gate the will of God to the ends of 
the earth; it has taught us prin- 
ciples pertaining to our future, both 
in relation to the living and the 
dead, relative to the present, past 
and future. We talk a great deal 
about our Gospel, about our spirit* 
ual affairs ; we hav^e our church or* 
ganized according to certain prin- 
ciples associated therewith. Wo 



30 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



have a prieslhood organization, em- 
bracing our Stake organization ; we 
have organizations pertaining to 
spiritual things, if you may so call 
them, and also for temporal things, 
for we have to do both with time 
and with eternity, both with earthly 
and with heavenly things, and con- 
sequently it is necessary we should 
be interested in all. When we re- 
flect upon our position, there is some- 
thing peculiar associated with it. At 
first the Elders of this Church were 
told to go forth and preach the Gos- 
pel to every creature ; then they 
were instructed to gather together 
those who believed. According to 
the Scriptures, ** I will take you one 
of a city, and two of a family, and 
I will bring you to Zion. And I 
will give you pastors according to 
mine heart, which shall feed you 
with knowledge and understanding." 
We are gathered together ; but 
being gathered together there is 
something more than spirituality as- 
sociated with our existence. We 
brought our bodies with us when 
we came, and we necessarily have 
to eat and drink and to have houses 
to live in, etc.; in fact, we require 
the common necessaries of life just 
as much as any other people. And 
then, if we have children, as Bishop 
Hunter says, "there are none of 
them born with shoes and stockings;" 
.but these things have to be provided. 
'Furthermore, being gathered to- 
gether, we necessarily form a body 
politic, if you please, and we cannot 
help ourselves if we would ; but we 
do not want to. We frame laws 
according to the usage of the nation 
we are associated with ; for being 
here and finding ourselves in the 
territory of the United States, we 
necessarily have had to organize a 
government which has assumed a 
territorial form ; and that means a 
legislature with its enjvctments and 



all the various adjuncts of a govern- 
ment. Laws have to be made, offi- 
cers must be created to execute those 
laws ; and we necessarily become an 
integral part of these United States, 
and have to perform all the political 
functions associated therewith. 

These things naturally flow unto 
us, and they will continue to grow 
and increase, if it be true what the 
Scriptures say, and if it be true what 
many of our brethren have preached 
to you since the asi^embling of this 
Conference. Then it becomes a mat- 
ter for us to reflect upon that we 
understand our true position, how 
we can best sustain ourselves reli- 
giously, socially, politically and 
financially, and among other lessons 
learn to produce at home those ar- 
ticles we stand in need of 

We have been brought up in the 
world, and have imbibed many ideas 
in common with mankind generally 
pertaining to commerce, trade and 
manufactures. But we need the in- 
spiration of the Almighty in all of 
the affairs of life ; for we profess 
emphatically to be the people of Gkxi, 
and as it is with us in our religion 
so it ought to be with our politics, 
our trade and manufactures. They 
ought, in all things, to be subservient 
to one grand principle, and that 
is the acknowledgment of God and 
his laws. Permit me here to state 
that before the revelations of God to 
man in these last days, there were 
no people that had a correct know- 
ledge of God, that we have any 
knowledge of, anywhere upon the 
earth. AH were without prophecy, 
without revelation, without a know- 
ledge of the doctrine or ordinances 
of the Gospel. And to whom are 
we indebted for a knowledge of 
these things 1 Certainly not to our- 
selves, and as assuredly not to any 
earthly body or system in existence. 
We are indebted alone to God for a 



TEMPORAL CONCERNS, ETC. 



31 



knowledge of these things ; through 
His revelations made first by himself 
and by his well beloved Son, and 
then by the ministering of holy 
angels, by communication from the 
heavens to the earth. We are in- 
debted to him for all the light and 
intelligence we possess in relation to 
these things. What did we know 
about the first principles of the Gos- 
pel? Nothing. What did 'we know 
about the gathering, or about Zion, 
or about the ordinances of the Gos- 
pel or about the holy priesthood 1 
Nothing at all. Nor did we know 
anything about the building of 
Temples, or about the mode of ad- 
ministering in them until directed by 
the Almighty ; it was He who re- 
vealed the^ necessity of the construc- 
tion of those sacred edifices and the 
mode of administering therein. What 
does the outside world know about 
these things 1 Nothing. And if 
they had our Temples they could not 
administer therein. We are in- 
debted to God alone for the light 
and intelligence we have received. 

Again in regard to political mat- 
ters, where is there a nation to-day, 
under the face of the whole heavens 
that is under the guidance and di- 
rection of the Lord in the manage- 
ment of their public affairs 1 You 
cannot find one. It is true that the 
founders of this nation, as a prelimi- 
nary step for the introduction of 
more correct principles and that lib- 
erty and the rights of man might be 
recognized, and that all men might 
become equal before the law of the 
land, had that great palladium of 
hberty, the Constitution of the 
United States, framed. This was 
the entering wedge for the introduc- 
tion of a new era, and in it were in- 
troduced principles for the birth and 
organization of a new world. The 
Prophet Joseph Smith said that 



"The Constitution of the United 
States was given by the inspiration 
of God." But good, virtuous and 
holy principles may be perverted by 
corrupt and Avicked men. The Lord 
was opposed by Satan, Jesus had his 
Judas, and this nation abounds with 
traitors who ignore that sacred pal- 
ladium of liberty and seek to trample 
it under foot. Joseph Smith said 
they would do so, and that when 
deserted by all, the elders of Israel 
would rally around its shattered 
fragments and save and preserve it 
inviolate. But even thisj good as 
it was, was not a perfect instrument; 
it was one of those stepping stones 
to a future development in the pro- 
gress of a man to the intelligence 
and light, the power and union that 
God alone can impart to the human 
family. And while we acknowledge, 
as citizens of the United States, the 
laws and institutions thereof (which 
by the way are very easily complied 
with), we have a higher law, more 
noble principles, ideas that are more 
elevated and expansive; principles 
that reach to the whole human 
family, and which he will continue 
to reveal to us. Does that prevent 
us from obeying the laws of the landl 
Certainly not. But then, is that a 
perfect system*? I do not think 
that many of you will say it is, nor 
do I think that the people of the 
United States of any political party 
will tell you it is. I do not wish to 
cast any reflections or refer to any 
events that have taken place ; I am 
merely speaking on religious prin- 
ciples, and principles too in which 
we as Latter-day Saints are inter- 
ested. We are united, then, as a 
body politic, as an integral part of 
this Government, and it becomes 
our duty to submit to the laws and 
institutions of that Government — 
to all that are constitutional, framed 



32 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



and based upon correct principles, 
and not in violation of what the 
fathers of the country instituted. 

But have we any higher aim than 
this 1 We have. Do any object 1 
If so why should they'? Do we in 
anywise interfere with any man's 
rights, Government, or make war 
upon any parties ? No, but we are 
interested in the preservation of jus- 
tice, equality and the rights of man 
in the developement of peace, the 
further establishment of correct, 
more elevated, refined and exalted 
principles, in placing ourselves in a 
position more in accordance with 
things as they exist in the heavens, 
for the welfare and happiness of the 
human family. God has given unto 
us certain principles which we feel 
bound to observe. Is there anjrthing 
wrong in this ] I think not. We 
have all kinds of institutions here in 
the United States and in other na- 
tions, such as Odd Fellows, Free 
Masons, and others ; and they have 
a right to their ideas and manner of 
doing things as long as they observe 
the laws, and so have we, and have a 
right to be protected also in those 
rights. But to say we must stand 
still is a thing not connected with 
our creed. If others do not desire 
to accompany or keep pace with us, 
we must still go on under the guid- 
ance of the Lord. As was said of 
ancient Israel, "The Lord is our 
God, the Lord is our king, the Lord 
is our judge, and he shall rule over 
us," so we say. We need informa- 
tion and revelation in regard to our 
religious matters, we also need in- 
formation, intelligence and revelation 
in regard to our political, social and 
all temporal matters. If we humble 
ourselves and purify ourselves, and 
magnify our callings as the Elders 
of Israel, according to the Scriptures, 
we will yet teach the princes of this 
world wisdom and their kings know- 



ledge and understanding ; for these 
things that are spoken of will as- 
suredly come to pass when " out of 
Zion shall go forth the law, and the 
word of the Lord from Jerusalem." 
The purposes of God shall yet be ful- 
filled in relation to these matters ; 
GU)d's work will most assuredly pro- 
gress, until " the kingdoms of this 
world shall become the kingdoms of 
our God and his Christ, and he will 
rule for ever and ever," not in war, 
not in confusion and strife and dis- 
cussions, not in evil and corruption ; 
but in the interests of humanity, ac- 
cording to the laws of life and in ac- 
cordance with the intelligence that 
dwells in the bosoms of the Gods, 
and in the interests of a fallen 
world. 

Now we come to other matters 
pertaining to our mercantile associa- 
tions, I might talk further about 
our social relations, etc., however, 
these are subjects we hear a good 
deal about ; we are pretty well in- 
formed in relation to them. The in- 
formation we have pertaining to our 
associations with our wives, and wives 
with their husbands has been re- 
vealed to us by God, and we are 
striving to carry out those eternal 
principles, — ^principles that will ex- 
alt us, our progenitors and our pos- 
terity in the celestial kingdom, where 
we can enjoy the presence of God 
and that of the celestial hosts who 
have gone before 

We come again to our temporal 
interests. Has the world been our 
exemplar with regard to any of 
these things that I have mentioned ? 
No, the Lord has been our teacher, 
He has been our guide and director; 
without him we could have accom- 
plished nothing, for we knew no 
more naturally than anybody else 
did. 

In relation to temporal things. Are 
we capable, as Latter-day Saints, of 



TBMPOBAL CONCERNS^ KTC. 



8» 



falfilling our destiny on the earth, 
and procuring a full temporal salva- 
tion and sustaining ourselves, on 
temporal principles without the in- 
terposition of the Almighty ] I tell 
you no, we are not, no more than we 
are in regard to any other things. 
We read in the Scriptures of a time 
that is coming when there will be a 
howling among the merchants in 
Babylon, for men will not be found 
to buy their merchandise. This is 
in accordance with the prediction of 
John the Revelator. And the gold 
and the silver and the fine linen, etc., 
in Babylon will be of no avail. But 
before that time comes, we as a 
people must prepare for those events, 
that we may be able to live and 
sustain ourselves when in the midst 
of convulsions that by and by will 
overtake the nations of the earth, 
and among others, this nation. The 
time that is spoken of is not very 
far distant. " He that will not take 
up his sword against his neighber, 
must needs flee to Zion for safety.** 
And Zion herself must flee to the 
God of Israel and hide herself in 
t;he shadow of his wing, seeking for 
his guidance and direction to lead 
her in the right path, both as regards 
spiritual and temporal affairs; things 
social and things political, and every- 
thing pertaining to human existence. 
We are not prepared as a people to- 
day for the accomplishment of this 
object ; we need the interposition 
and guidance of the Almighty. It 
is judt as necessary that we be under 
his guidance in relation to these 
ihatters, as it is in regard to any 
other matters. Who made the 
earth 1 The same being that made 
the heavens. Who made our 
bodies 1 The same bein^ that made 
our souls ; and it takes the " body 
amd the spirit to make the soul of 
man.** We need not ari*ogate to 
ourselves any particular intelligence, 



whether of mercantile, manufacture 
ing, chemical or scientific nature, for 
if there is anything good or intel- 
ligent, it is the Lord who has im- 
parted it, whether man acknowledge 
it or not. We want to acknowledge 
the Lord in all things, temporal a& 
well as spiritual, 

I wish now more directly to touch 
upon some other principles associ- 
ated therewith. Some of us seem to 
be very much confused in our minds 
as to how we shall operate in regard 
to temporal affairs. We have 
brought with us the feelings, views 
and ideas of the people from whence 
we came, which are conflicting, and 
which tend to disintegration and di- 
vision, knd lead to covetousness and 
fraud, which ought not to have an 
existence among the Saints of God. 
We have advertisements published 
in our newspapers by the Latter-day 
Saints too, things that are infamous, 
that are untrue, that are a shame 
and a disgrace among honorable 
people, and stand as a living lie* 
The community at large should not 
countenance such^ things as we see 
daily in our papers to attract the 
attention of the unwary and brinj 
what they call grists to their mill^ 
in the interest of the individual. 
We as a people are not called to- 
gether to act in individual inierests; 
we are called together as Saints of 
God to operate in the interests of 
the Zion of God, for the welfare et 
Israel, and not let ourselves float 
along with the balance, and all swim 
together, or all 'sink together. We 
ought to be governed by principle* 
of union, fellowship and righit feelr> 
ing, carrying out Jhonorable and up- 
right principles' that should be ac- 
knowledged before God,, the holy, 
angels and all hQiiQrable men. 

Now after speaking so muc'h upon^ 
general principles, let me touch uyou 
some things teierred to here about. 

'Vol XXI. 



u 



JOtTRMAL OF DISOOXmSXS. 



these reports, etc. We have long 
talked about the united order and 
about 6o-operation ; and we have 
started in a good deal like some of 
our little boys when they begin to 
run — we have made a great many 
stumbles in this matter. Little 
Willie and Annie often think they 
can manage things better than 
Daddy and Mammy ; and we, like 
them, have assumed to ourselves 
strength, and the first thing we 
know are pulling this way, that way 
and the other. Then, have the in- 
stitutions been exactly right ] No, 
all kinds of foolishness and all kinds 
of blunderings have occurred in their 
administration. But shall we quit 1 
I think not ; that is just what the 
devil would like, just what many of 
Our merchants want, and it would 
be the very thing that would suit 
the world, and the devil would laugh 
at us. What we want to do is to 
purge out the things that are wrong, 
^d correct them and place them 
Upon a correct basis, and then adhere 
to them as we would any other part 
of our religion. In the Church, if a 
man lies or swears, or commits adul- 
tery, or does anything wrong, we 
deal with him according to the laws 
of the Church. But because men 
do wrong, we do not abandon our 
principles, nor leave the Church, but 
we turn such individuals out that 
will not be righted, and we aim to 
adjust all things and place them on 
a proper basis. Why not do the 
same in temporal thingsl We have, 
for instance, Zion*s Co-operative 
Mercantile Institution; it is called 
the Parent Institution, and it ought 
to be the parent of all these institu- 
tions and act as a father and protec- 
tor and benefactor, doins all it can 
to promote the welfare and prosperity 
of the people. And then the people, 
on the other hand, ought to protect 
it and sustain it by doing their busi- 



ness through that institution and 
act prudently, wisely, orderly and 
unitedly in regard to these matters, 
that we may be one ; for our revela- 
tions tell us, If we are not one, we 
are not the Lord's. And if we are 
not the Lord's, whose are wet 

We talk sometimes about the 
United Order. I do not propose tOj 
read to you on this occasion froni 
any of the revelations bearing on 
this subject, but will quote to yott 
in substance from one of them. The 
Lord has told us that those who 
would not comply with the require- 
ments connected with this ord^r 
should have their names erased from 
the book of the law of God, and 
their genealogies must not be found 
on any church records or history, 
their names shall not be found nor 
the names of the fathers, nor the 
names of the children written ia 
the book of the Law of God. These 
words are to us, Latter-day Saints; 
they are true and are binding upon 
us. 

Another thing ; what did we do 
when President Young was among 
us, urging these things upon usi 
Did we not enter into covenant by 
re-baptism to be subject to the 
Priesthood in temporal as well as 
spiritual things, when we took upon 
ourselves the obligations of the 
United Orderl Let me ask you^ 
what do we mean by doing this? 
Is it a mere form, a farce, or do we 
intend to carry out the covenants 
we made ? I tell you in the name 
of Israel's God they will be carried 
out, and no man can plow around 
these things, for God has decreed 
that they shall be accomplished ; 
and any man who sets himself in 
opposition to these principles which 
God has established, he will root 
him out; but the principle itself 
will not be rooted out, for God will 
see that it is accomplished. And in 



TEMPORAL OONOfiRNS, STC. 



8$ 



the name of Israel's God we will 
help him to ido it ; and ftll who feel 
to do it| say amen. (The large con- 
gregation responded with a loud, 
" Amen.") 

We have started co-operative in- 
stitutions, and I will touch on a 
principle now, showing how they 
ought to be governed. God has or- 
dained two priesthoods upon the 
earth — the Melchisedec and the 
Aaronic. The Melchisedec presides 
more especially over the spiritual 
affairs of the Church, and has done 
in all ages when it has existed upon 
the earth. You will find this pro- 
vided for in the Doctrine and Cove- 
nants ; you can hunt it up at your 
leisure, I do not wish to stop to 
make the quotation now. The 
Aaronic priesthood is presided over 
by the presiding bishop. If we had 
a literal descendant of Aaron he 
weuld have a right to preside over 
the bishopric, and to operate and 
manage and direct these things 
without the aid of counselors. In 
the absence of such men the Lord 
has directed us to take men from 
the high priesthood and set them 
apart to be bishops to administer in 
temporal things. This Aaronic priest- 
hood is an appendage to the Mel- 
chisedec priesthood, and its province 
is to administer in temporal affairs. 
One reason why we want men of 
this class to administer in temporal 
things is because there is a special 
provision made for it. Nevertheless 
'a High Priest that is after the order 
ef Melchisedec may be set apart to 
administer in temporal things, hav- 
ing a knowledge of them by the Spirit 
0f truth. And before a man attempts 
to administer in Zion in temporal 
things, he ought to obtain a know- 
ledge of that spirit of truth to admi- 
nister according to the intelligence 
which that spirit of truth imparts. 
Thus we have the Aaronic priest- 



hood in its place ; the Melchisedec 
priesthood in its place. And in all 
the various functions it is necessaiT 
to enter into all the various orgam- 
zations. It is on one or two particular 
points that I wish te speak now. 

In the first place the Lord re* 
quires certain things to be done to 
meet his approbation ; and every* 
thing has to be done under the di-^ 
rection of the presidency of the 
Twelve, both temporal things and 
spiritual things. The bishops and 
the presidents of Stakes and all the 
officers in the Church of God are 
subject to this authority and they 
cannot get around it. And when 
any officer of this Church who by 
virtue of his calling does things 
without counselling with the proper 
authorities of the Church, he takes 
upon himself things that he has no 
right to do, and such a course can- 
not be acceptable before Grod anpl the 
Priesthood. 

Now then, we come to the bishop- 
ric. Ought the bishops to be con- 
sulted in regard to temporal things t 
Yes, they ought And as an ex- 
ample, let me tell you that for the 
last year Bishop Hunter has associ- 
ated with the Council of the Twelve 
whenever they have met to censider 
temporal matters. And I may say 
we have been pleased to have his 
company, because it was his place to 
understand the position of temporal 
things, that we may know his feel- 
ings, and counsel with him and he 
with us, that everything may be 
done according to the order and 
laws of God, that there may be per- 
fect unanimit}'. With this view h# 
was placed as one of the counselors 
to the Trustee-in-Trust — because the 
Trustee-in-Trust thought it belonged 
to him to hold* that position, and 
thinks so to-day. But then, does 
he preside over the Melchisedec 
Priesthood 1 No, he does not. Who 



86 



^ovikjkxim o9 msoovtmtok 



iMd what ii be 1 A kigh priesl'm:- 
jSn^edraofd se^ aplart to the bishop- 

S*5. By whom? The Presideney. 
066 he control the Plresidency ) No, 
)ve( is set apart by them ; as bishop 
he is an appendage to the higher 
ppiesthood, and does not control it. 
^o man controls it. I remember a 
r$«iark made on one occasion by 
Joseph Smith, in speaking with 
Bishop Partridge, wlio was then 
Bishop. He was a splendid good 
tamiy as Bishop Hunter is. But he 
got some erooked ideas into his 
bead ; he though't h^ ought to man- 
age some things irrespective of 
tl^oseph, which caused Joseph to 
speak rather sharply to him. Joseph 
paid, I wish you lio understand' that 
{ am President of tMs. Church, and 
J am your president,- and I preside 
over you and all your affairs. Is 
that correct doctrinel Yes. It was 
$rue then and it id true to-day^ 

Well, it is necessary that we 
ahould have an • understanding of 
t^ese thingSi that we may make no 
tnistakes in our administration. I 
3¥ant, th(Qn, ih all our operations to 
confer with our bikhops. And if 
this institution of ours is '' Zion's 
^Co-operative," then it should be 
under the direction of Zion, under 
the direction of the 'Priesthood ; 
MDd if it is not ^^Zioa's"' Cooperative, 
^en it is a living lie. • But do .w« 
wish to interfi^re with them 1 No, 
we do not. Do we wish to inter- 
(Tuptthem in aiiy of their operations? 
JSfo, we >^nt to help theib; we want 
to unite them and all the people 
into one, with God ai> 6ur head, 

f^vemed by the holy priesthood. 
, aive they rights? Yes. Do we 
^respect them? Yes. Have the 
.people rights? Yes. • ^Shall the 
people be respec|ed>iiR their rights ? 
{Yes, they shall, aJl the people^ in all 
fthe Stakes; and while we sustain 
(th^tti they must^^t&in us>; and if 



they espect'to have our support^ 
they must give us theirs, 

Having said so much, I will teU^ 
you that I believe sincerely that^ 
the men managing our Co-operative* 
Institution are doing just as well as 
they know how. And 1 will statfe 
further, that I don't know of any; 
persons in this community who know> 
how better than they do. And I 
have been now for some time asso- 
ciated with them, and am acquainted 
with their proceedings. 

There are other principles besides 
this ; we want to learn to manufacr 
ture our own goods. And wliile oft 
the one hand we use the best tsdelkt 
and financial ability we can get to^ 
attend to our mercantile institutioaa i 
on the other hand, we need t# 
cherish a spirit to encourage hoixt^ 
manufactures of every kind, and wt 
want* to get this institution to hel]^ 
us do it. If we manufacture clotbft 
and bootsand shoes or anything ekt?^. 
we want the institution to cUspoo^ 
of our goods. If we need encouragi^ 
ment in regard to the introductao]^ 
of any noanuftotures of £(ny kind, vf^ 
want them to iielpus, and we hate 
a right to expect this of them so far 
as is wise, ptudeilit and leigitimatA; 
I"M11 state that the directors of Z*<i 
M. I. feol interested in the v^ly 
things that I aoi taUiing about, aqA 
I say it to their credit and for yoijlr 
satisfaction. I do not think there ^ 
an institution in the United Statte 
in a better condition than that is to- 
day ; and it is improving all ;th9 
time, not after any fi<^titious mdno- 
ner, but on a solid, firm, reliaUo 
basis. Now then, I have proposi^ 
to these brethren, which they qui;!tii» 
coincide with, that when they shzul 
be able to pay a certaiu amount as 
dividends on the nieani^ invested, 
at*ter reserving a suffiaient amoimt 
to presei-Ve tlie institutioh inhc^ 
against any stidden emergency thSt 



TEMPORAL COKCKRNS, SIC. 



n 



iftay arise, which is prop<»r among 
4ffl wise and ittt^ligent men, that 
th^ the prdiitB of- the institution 
oHtside of this, . shou^H be appro- 
plSated for the development of the 
b6me manufaqtures, the making of 
liiachinery, the introduction of self- 
jBUstaining principles and the build- 
ing up of the Territory generally, 
and they acquiesced in this feeling ; 
ajpd I say it to their honor and credit. 
And I will tell you again that the 
Ohurch has got a large interest in 
that institution, consequently we 
wish to see everything go aright, not 
«n any wild erratic principle, but on 
a solid, firm, reliable basis, that can 
be carried out and that will elicit 
the admiration and confidence of all 
:good and honorable men. 

Sometimes little difficulties have 
arisen outside through interested in- 
<iividuals who have resorted to a 
good deal of trickery ; other times 
perhaps from just causes. And 1 
will say too that complaints have 
been made that we have not suffici- 
ently sustained our home manufac- 
tures. I will say however that the 
Institution has stood in a very deli- 
-cate position. We have been strug- 
gling with the financial crisis that 
has cast a gloom over all this nation 
for the last nuniber of years — ^since 
1873. But we are now getting into 
a «olid firm position, and when we 
declared 3 per cent, for the six 
months dividend, it was because the 
Institution was able to do so. And 
when we are able to ' extend this a 
little farther we will be quite willing 
to do so. 

Some of the complaints that hdve 
been rarfde- against the institution 
we have heard ; and wfe have thought 
best to • have a board and refer to 
that board any complaints that 
might be made from any part of the 
Territory. This board that has been 
temporarily organized has given ns 



these various reports which hata* 
been read in your hearint^, which in-' 
dicate their views a^nd feelings hi/ 
regard to these things. We wi^fi kj; 
boird of that kind to be organizOT*^ 
upon a correct basis according to the* 
order of this Ohurch and Kingdom- 
of God ; and then as the people; 
throughout the Territory send to. 
purchase their goods from them, let; 
the people that make these purchases- 
be represented ; and if the^re is any-* 
thing not straight in their operations* 
let them be made straight. And' 
this is what this committee is for,^ 
that the people may be protected as ' 
well as the Institution. 

Then Stake organizations are re- 
commended, with a representative 
from each Stake at the general or 
central board, and it will make it 
much more pleasant for the manage- 
ment of that Institution to have a 
criticism of that kind. And it will 
also tend to allay many of these 
foolish things which are frequently 
put in circulation in different parts 
of the Territory. The object then, 
of this Board is that the people may 
be represented, and that Zion's Co- 
operative may also be properly - 
represented, that it may serve as a 
balance wheel to adjust and correct 
any mattery of difficulty that may 
arise. 

I am happy to say that in many : 
parts of the Territory they are intro- 
ducing the manufacture of leather 
and boots and shoes and a variety of 
other articles. And suffice it to say 
that, according to these reports, the 
Parent Institution has sustained the: 
manufacturers of these home-made 
articles quite liberally ; and we want 
it to be in that position that every- 
thing we use can be bought there. 
This is, too, the feeling in relation 
to this matter. And when we get 
things into a proper fix we will pull 
with a long pull and a strong pull 



ss 



JOURNAL OF DIS00URSE6. 



^d a pull altogether. We will 
strive to be one ; and if we cannot 
go so far as to sustain co-operation 
in regard to these things, how in 
tihe name of common sense are we 
eyer going into the United Order 1 
But we will begin with this, and 
then co-operate in all the different 
Stakes, not only in your merchandis- 
ing, but in your manufacturing af- 
fairs and in your producing affairs ; 
and in every thing it will be the 
duty of this general Board of Trade 
tp regulate the interests of the whole 
community, honestly and faithfully, 
at least we will do it according to 



the best ability we have; and if thera 
should any mistakes arise, wo . 
will try to correct them ; if they ara 
on the part of the people, we will , 
talk to them about it, if on the part 
of the institution, we will talk ta 
its management about it. And we 
will keep working and operating 
until we succeed in introducing ana 
establishing these things that God 
has desired, and until Zion shall b^ 
a united people and the glory oi all 
the earth. 

God bless you and lead you in the 
path of life, in the name of Jesus^ 
Amen. 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER H. W. NAISBITT, 

Delivebed in the 13th Waed Meeting House, Salt Lake City' 

November 23bd, 1879. 



(Reported by John Irvine,) 



salvation dependent upon effort and progress — ^WE SHOULD NOT 
BE DISCOURAGFD BY DIFFICULTY. 



My brethren and sisters : I can 
say that I have had some very pleas- 
ant and interesting reflections while 
listening to Brother Fowler's re- 
marks, and think the purpose for 
which we have met this evening has 
been a success. I have felt that I 
have been fed, that I have been 
blestsed, and that I shall carry with 
me more or less of the influence and 
spirit of those remarks^ and upon re- 



flection we all understand that this- 
is really the purpose for which wo 
come together. 

Mormonism, in a sense, is opposed 
to formality. All that there is as- ; 
sociated with it is meant for use„ 
and there are results expected X% ac-; 
crue from all the practices of the • 
Church that have been established 
by revelation, and everything is in- ; 
tended to aid in the great work: 



SALVATION DEPENDANT UPON EFEORT, ETC. 



39 



which we call salvation. To be sure, 
that is a very commoQ word, it is a 
word that we are all familiar with, 
it is something that we have heard 
from the time that we were children, 
from the time that we went to Sab- 
bath school, and before we went 
there, and after we attained to youth 
and manhood. But in the light of 
the Gospel how narrow and con- 
tracted and how oflfeusive the word 
in its sectarian sense becomes to us, 
80 much so that many of us scarcely 
like to use it ; we would prefer to 
use another expression which more 
thoroughly carries with it all the 
ideas associated with the reception 
and practice of the Gospel. 

Our memory has been cited to the 
fact that during the history of this 
Church, and during the history of 
the primitive church, there were 
those who possessed the spirit of 
unbelief, there were those who be- 
came more or less indifferent and 
negligent in regard to that which 
they received, and we have been re- 
ferred to the history of those who 
have fallen from this Church — men 
who have seen great things, men 
who have had wonderful experiences, 
men whom we might have considered 
as stable as the eternal hills by vir- 
tue of that experience. Now what 
is the difficulty in such cases 1 What 
is the difficulty in any cases, in your 
case, and in my case, when we lose 
an interest in the things pertaining 
. to the kingdom of God ] Is it . a 
healthy sign 1 or is it not rather, if 
continued, a sign of approximating 
death ) Is the man or the woman 
who are alive to their duties — are 
they those who apostatize 1 Is it 
the faithful m^n or the active, stir- 
ring woman, who are laboring ear- 
nestly, following the practice and 
principles of the Gospel, that leave 
the Church *? No, it is not, but it 
is those who, frona some cause or 



other, become cold, heartless, indif- 
ferent, and i^eglectful of their duties. 
Salvation, in its largest aspect, 
consists in the proportion of truth 
received ; men and women only are 
saved in proportion to the truth 
which they appropriate. An igno- 
rant man will only obtain the salva- 
tion which belongs to the ignorant. 
The idler will only obtain that salva- 
tion which belongs to an idle man. 
Is it not '* the hand of the diligent 
that raaketh rich ]" and there are 
parallels running through all the 
actions of the Saints in a religious 
sense similar to those which run 
through the actions of men in a 
social sense, even down to the lowest 
details of human life, into every 
avenue of life, in every direction in 
which human happiness is involved, 
constituting as they do in their en- 
tirety that which is spoken by the 
Apostle Paul, '^ how shall we escape 
if we neglect so great salvation )*' I 
presume, if I am to judge by my ex- 
perience, that every man and every 
woman realizes that it is just in pro- 
portion to our experience^ our use of 
the opportunities of life, our under- 
standing of the principles involved, 
that we are successful. If you find 
a man who essays to be a merchant, 
who desires the accumulation of 
wealth, you will £ud a man who 
points his energies in that direction. 
He is a man who not only looks at 
things in general but at things in 
detail ; he not only looks at his 
business as a whole but he looks at 
it in its parts ; &nd if he were to 
abstain or refrain from a considera- 
tion of the details which insure suc- 
cess the probability is that he would 
find himself in the courts of liquida- 
tion. Many a man, fortunate in a 
a mercantile sense, Ivas gone to the 
wall through carelessness in regard 
to little things as boxes, paper, time, 
etc., through trival waste that every 



40 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSEB. 



prudent man woulfl be disposed to 
hotice ; but the successful merchant 
in almost any instance — and these 
instances are the exception and not 
the rule, is the man who is economi- 
cal, prudent and careful of the de- 
tails of his business. If you go into 
our houSes, and you take our girls 
that are grown up, and they are 
unable to bake bread, unable to cook 
a potato, unable to wash and attend 
to all the duties which belong to 
domestic life, how much of a domes- 
tic s<alvation will they receive 1 
What attraction will there be for the 
husband, working away in the battle 
of life, when he comes home to find 
that rest which is so desirable] Our 
domestic salvation depends upon at- 
tention to the details which lie at 
the foundation of domestic happi- 
ness, and there can be no peace in 
the domestic circle where there is a 
lack of intelligence, there can be no 
success only where the good house- 
wife masters the details of her daily 
life. 

As it is in these two eveiy-day 
yet diverse instances of life, so also 
it is in all other directions, and the 

* same principle is just as prominent 
and just as applicable to the details 
of our most holy faith. You go out 

' into the missionary field and preach 

* the Gospel of our Lord and Savior 
•Jesus Christ. After you have 

^pnished your discourse some one 
' ixiay come up to you and say, " my 
^ friend, I believe the doctrine which 
" you teach, I acknowledge the exist- 
' ence of the Deity, I believe in the 
message of hib son, I understand the 
jiecessity of obedience to the first 

* principles — including baptism." But 
mark when a man has been baptized 

'if he becomes careless and indifferent 
*'and says " Well; I am a member of 
^'the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
t 'day Saints to this extent.'* In your 
X. estimation now, what would be the 



amount of salvation that man would 
receive % Why, he might receive the 
remission of his sins and that is all 
he is entitled to, but the salvation 
which belongs to the ordinance of 
the " la3dng on of hands" would form 
no part of his blessings. But sup- 
posing he advances a step further 
and says : " Having done so well I 
w(»uld like to enjoy a little more of 
the blessings," and he goes and re- 
ceives the laying on of hands. He 
feels tlie promptings of the spirit of 
intelligence from above, he rejoices 
in its influence; it suggests, persuades 
counsels, and advises. Sup})osing 
that under the operations of this 
spirit he should turn adeafear toits 
promptings — suppose that itprompts 
him to go in one direction and he 
feels to run the other, suppose that 
he should resist this influence, how 
much of a salvation in that respect 
would he receive % For instance, you 
are all aware of the power of the 
spirit, or rather the impulse it gives 
to gathering. We have all felt this. 
It has been a part of our experience 
when we have been under the influ- 
ence of that spirit ; we desired to as- 
sociate with the Saints in a local 
capacity, in their general assemblies, 
and in a larger sense we have been 
desirous of gathering with them to 
the great gathering place wherever 
that may be. Suppose that spiHt of 
gathei ing is resisted, and a man says 
** Well, 1 have got a good situation 
here, a nice little home, 1 enjoy the 
society in which I mingle" — and he 
continues in that course, how on 
earth or heaven or any where else, 
can that man get the special and 
particular salvation which belongs 
to gathering ? It cannot be done ; 
it is not in the nature of things. If 
he w^ould enjoy that salvation he 
must absorb the principle of gather- 
ing until it grows and blossoms into 
life. And there are those even in 



SALVATION DEPENDENT UPON EFFORT, ETC. 



ll 



this Territory who, when they get 
:among the Saints believe that M the 

SUrpoees of their holy religion have 
een served in their experience, and 
they set themselves down and say, 
'* Well now, I will endeavor to get 
for myself a good home ; I will try 
to make myself comfortable ; I will 
spread out on the right hand and on 
the left; and as for some duties 
•which pertain to my religion — well, 
' I have not time to attend to tliem, 
•they absorb too much of my atten- 
tion, and I will give my life to mak- 
ing myself and family comfortable." 
They think that because they have 
' been baptized, because they enjoy 
the spirit of the Lord through the 
laying on of hands, because they 
have forsaken fatherland and come 
to the mountains, that, therefore, 
they are sure of ** the great salva- 
tion " which the Gospel brings. 
Why, it is all a mistake. They will 
get the salvatien which is necessary 
consequent upon the truth which 

- they have absorbed and put into 
• practice ;* no more and no less. 

Again, we find that some of our 

- people when Christmas comes round 
' will begin to make excuses in regard 

to their tithing. Now, titliing is 
one of the eternal principles which 
. pertains to the order of God. But 
a man goes up to his Bishop and 
says, •'Well now, it's all I can do to 
•' make both ends meet ; the necessi- 
ties of my family, the responsibilities 
' and cares that belong to the position 
in which I move, compel me to use 
all the income I receive, and it 
scarcely suflBces to serve my wants." 
Do you believe that that man will 
over enjoy that particular portion 
of salvation which belongs to those 
who promptly pay their tithes to 
the Lord 1 No, it cannot be done ; 
that map never can enjoy the special 
and peculiar blessing that belongs to 
all those who pay their tithing. 



You go into a man's house and 
you find there disorder, children dis- 
puting, the wives — two or three as 
the case may be — at loggerheads (to 
use a rather vulgar expression) in 
fact the spirit of peace has fled from 
the hearthstone,' what salvation in a 
domestic sense does that man enjoyi 
Is that the outcome of the order of 
family government, or rather was it 
not instituted to promote peace and 
harmony, so that we might have a 
type of the great heaven which we 
desire to enjoy in the not far distant 
future ? The man who would have 
domestic salvation has got to work 
for it. He must understand the 
nature of the element with which he 
deals, he mnst so manipulate that it 
will bring forth the domestic salva- 
tion which he earnestly seeks. But 
supposing a man has got tlie peace 
he (Jesires in this respect, yet in the 
morning as in the evening the song 
of prayer or praise is never heard in 
his house. Now there is a certain 
position of domestic salvation which 
pertains to the carrying out of these 
ideas and principles which we have 
received that cannot be secured by 
any other process, and the man who 
neglects to have family prayers, and 
.to induce and persuade his family to 
join in, has lost one of the great 
elements which operate and secure 
for him and his, domestic salvation. 

Well, now, there are some who 
attend to all these duties ; but still 
there are a great many other prin 
ciples that require to be observed. A 
man, for instance, has got the wife 
of his yoirth and a little family grow- 
ing up, yet there is a principle in 
the Church of Christ called patri- 
archal marriage, and many a woman 
in regard to this will say to her hus- 
band, " Now let us be satisfied to 
leave well enough alone. If your 
family circle is enlarged, you will 
increase your responsibility, and 



42 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



there is great risk connected with 
the introduction of a foreign element 
in your family. It is true there 
may be peace, but it is far more like- 
ly that there will be contention or 
division." Now, is there any ad- 
vantage in the practice of the patri- 
archal order ] That is the question. 
If there is — and I know there is, in 
spite of any difficulty connected 
therewith — how can you expect to 
enjoy any benefit which accrues from 
the practice of this eternal principle 
and yet remain in neglect or disobe- 
dience of that principle. It cannot 
be done. A great many think that 
it can, and they will employ all 
manner of subterfuge to back up 
their position. They will read the 



revelation on the subject, and they ter I have described I inVariably 



that we may ensure success t In 
the common walks of life we are 
a^ustomed to notice men and women 
who pride themselves in the. assur- 
ance that where others have failed 
they have brought forth success. 
The same idea is applicable to many 
in the direction of the patriarchal 
order. Where a man has failed in 
one or some other given direction, 
that failure should be an impetus to 
his neighbor, requiring and stirring 
him to use ail his ability so as to 
secure success. 

Now when I was in the old world 
I met a great many of the brethrien 
there who were engaged like myself 
in the work of the ministry, and 
whenever I met a man of the ^harac- 



will construe and misconstrue all 
that it says, in order to justify them- 
selves in the position which they 
have assumed ; but every man and 
every woman may rest satisfied that 
the blessings which flow from this 
order of the Church of Christ can- 
not be secured by any other process 
than the one pointed out by Divine 
authority. "But," says one, "I 
have known in my experience where 
difficulties have originated tbreugh 
the practice of this principle." Very 
true. Have you never known of 
difficulties originating in any ether 
direction or arising from th« practice 
of any other principle 1 Were there 
no difficulties get before you when 
you were baptized 1 Were there no 
difficulties presented before you 
when you thought of gathering? 
Were there no difficulties in your 
way when you endeavored to make 
your feet fast in the valleys of the 
mountains? Is it not difficulties 
that make the man 1 Is it not diffi- 
culties that make the woman 1 Is it 
not those circumstances and changes 



found that he was shorn of power, 
that he did not carry with him thai 
full influence which a missionary of 
the Gospel should carry ; at all 
events he had not that influence 
which practice and experience gives 
in this direction and I have imagined 
a case to myself sometimes. In go- 
ing into any small town or country 
village, into the midst of those pe- 
culiar influences which exist in Eng- 
land, you will find an audience con- 
gregated on the village green or else- 
where listening to the missionajy* 
After he is through M'ith his dis- 
course a man steps up and says^ I 
have heard the remarks you have 
made ; I believe in the principles 
that you advocate ; bu4 I am at the 
mercy of the squire, or of the * Lord 
of the Manor ' here, or the owner of 
this coal pit, or the one who runs 
this factory, and if I should embrace 
the doctrine that you preach I should 
be turned . out of my cottage ; I 
should lose the opportunity of earn- 
ing my bread, my boys and girls 
would be thrown out of employment, 



of life that call forth every energy and I should soon be all astray in a 



and arouse us to continued action so 



financial and industrial sense.'* 



SALVATION DSPSNDBNT UPON BFFECT, ETC. 



What does the elder say in a case 
of that kind ) He says, ''My friend 
I hear all your argum^tit It is very 
good^ that is so lag as it goes, but 
the Lord has promised to take eare 
of his Saints ; he has promised that 
when one door shuts another shall 
open ; and he has declared by revela- 
tion that it is his business to provide 
for his Saints ; and now if you will 
go down in humility and be baptized 
and associate yourselves with the 
church, and kingdom of God upon 
the earth your way will be opened 
before you." The elder believes 
what he is advocating. The man 
goes down and is baptized, and sure 
enough directly it comes to his em- 
ployer's ears, he receives a week's 
notice to quit his work, or quit his 
cottage, as the case may be. lie pulls 
a long face when the elder comes 
round again, but the elder says, 
''never mind, all will come out 
right ; exercise your faith ; trust in 
Providence; do what is right and 
let the consequence follow." Soon 
after this the nuin gets a good situa- 
tion and a.n advance of a tew shillings 
per week probably ; the Lord has 
blessed him, he has opejied up his 
way before him, and the words of 
the servant of God have been fulfilled. 
By and by through this increase he 
gets to Zion, and arriving there he 
goes to visit the house of this mission- 
ary and be introduced to his family. 
After awhile he takes the elder to 
one side and says, " How long have 
you been in Utah r And the answer 
is ten, fifteen, or twenty years, as 
the case may be. " You are pretty 
comfortable, nice little house well 
famished." " Oh yes, first rate." 
Is this all the family you have got 1" 
" Yes, this is all I have got ; never 
had but one wife ; I could not main- 
tain any more fanoilies." " But says 
the man, " did you not tell me when 
I got baptized to keep all the 



conmiandments of God ; did you not 
tell me it was the Lord's business ta 
provide for the Saints ; did you nofi: 
nmke the assertion that the path o£ 
duty was the path of safety f **: 
Yes' says the elder, "that may do. 
very well for Babylon, but it won't 
do here in Zion." Now there ia 
something not right here ; there is 
surely a weak point somewhere. I£ 
the principle is good in the midst o£ 
the nations, it is good at home, and 
if men are honest and honorable 
in the practice of that which they 
know to be right in the valleys of 
the mountains, the path of succesa 
will as surely open before them as it 
did to the man who received the 
Gospel in a foreign land. A great 
many of the brethren think they can« 
not afford to keep any more families.. 
I rememember when I was a lad I 
used to think and say I should not 
be able to keep myself, and on re^ 
marking this to my landlady she re^ 
plied : " I have often found that a 
man who thinks he cannot keep him- 
self can keep a wife and five or six 
children." Why? Because the 
responsibility called forth his 
energies ; he became speculative and 
energetic in order to secure success. 
There is a blessing, there is an ele- 
ment of salvation, there is something 
which tends to progress in the obedi- 
ence to every principle that has 
been received, so far, in connection 
with the church and kingdom of 
God, and every man and every wo- 
man will receive only that amount 
of salvation for which they work. 
Our measure of salvation, then, con- 
sists in the absorption of the truth 
we hear. Truth neglected, truth 
unemployed, truth unappropriated, 
is as valueless as the snows of ten 
winters ago are for the irrigation of 
our fields in the coming summer. 
But where the spirit of life is, where 
the spirit of vitality exists, where 



44 



JOORKAL OF DISCOUKBliIS; 



throughout the whole organiaation 
^f a man there burns the spirit of 
hiiellige^ce, the spirit of advance- 
iHaeDt, he will lead out continually in 
ihe right direction, and his wives 
4ind children will follow after him, 
they will catch his spirit, his neigh- 
"bors will feel his influence, the ward 
to which he belongs will feel after 
and emulate his example, and society 
^nerally will be the better for his 
presence ; but when this coldness, 
this indifference, this negligence 
comes in, why, the blessings 
that belong to obedience will 
not be received any more than 
the blesshigs that belong to 
our attending meeting on a 
Sunday can be received if 
we stay at home. I recollect 
B, person saying to me once, 
*" Well, who preached to-day f 
^* Oh brother so and so.'- 
<* Well, I know all he can say j 
and besides when such and such 
persons pi^ach I can stay at home 
and read the Bible" — and not much 
«f that I think — " I c^n read th« 
Book of Mormon, Doctrine, and 
Covenants, deseret new^s, and any 
Off the books publisiied by the Church 



and I enjoy myself better than I do 
in going to meting.'' Now is that 
a faot) A m»n may think so ; hat 
is it a /fact that a Inan can incrottse. 
in the knowledge of the things cf 
God if he absents himself from the 
services of the sanctuaiy as estab- 
lished by divine appointment % I say, 
no. The meeting house is the place 
where the table is spread, where the 
food is prepared by the eternal spirit,: 
and when we go there and hear men- 
speak to us under the influence of 
that spirit, and we are in possession* 
of the same spirit— we are fed, we 
grow and increase, and the roots and 
fibres of our being run deeper, amd 
so enable us to ^' bring forth more 
fruit" 

I presume the time is exhausted. 
I desire to continue faithful to the 
appropriation of truth, wheresoever 
it may originate ; no matter where, 
for all truth is divine. It is my 
privilege to enjoy the spirit of 
inspiration, to feelthe flow of revela- 
tion from above ; and that .God may 
grant us peace and wisdom and save 
us in his kingdom is my prayer, 
through Jesus Christ. Amen. 



THE WOU> OF THB LORD, BTC. 



4a 



DISCOtJRSE BY ELDER C. W. PENROSE, 

In THB Tabernacle, Pfiovr), Saturday Mornino, November 

29th, 1879. 



(Repoiied by Geo. F. Gibbs..) 



THE word of THB LORD TO THE OHURCH GIVEN THROUGH THE 
AUTHORITIES — ^AUTHORITIES SHOULD BE SUSTAINED - POWERS OF 
THE PRIESTHOOD — SPHERE OP WOMAN. 



I feel thankfal te meet with the 
lAtter-day Saints in this house to 
participate in the enjoyment of this 
Conferenoe ; for it is really enjoy- 
ment to me to listen to the instruc- 
tions imparted to the Saints by the 
power of the Holy Ghost through 
tiie, covenants of God. It is not 
supposed that when we come toge- 
tiier as we do Ihis morning, that we 
wish to be treated to the views and 
pinions of men. The Lord has 
instructed his servants to speak as 
t^y are moved upon by the Holy 
Ghost, and it had been shown to us 
that it is our privilege when we 
i^emble on suohoocasions to receive 
iiiBtractions, not in the enticing 
words' of main's wisdom, but in the 
ieiQonstration and power of the 
$oly Ghost y and this will be the 
we when we ^semble in the right 
way and unite our faith and oui; 
^tj^ntion and our spiritual energy 
so as to call down upon us the bles- 
sings of the Almighty, and to have 
^ presence of those influences, 
^hose mimstering spirits who are 
ft^lf forth to minister to the heirs of 
fslvation. It is our privilege in these 
fuhlic gatl^erings fippointed for the 
YqcsIhP of Qod, to-bave ,thp presence 



of these holy ones in our midst, and 
to have the power of the Almighty 
to rest upon both speaker and hear- 
er, that we may be fed and nourish- 
ed by the bread of life that comes 
down from heaven, and that when 
w« part and go to our respective 
callings and places of abode we may. 
each carry with us '^ a live coal from. 
the altar." 

We meet here to-day to manifest^ 
that we are willing to sustain the 
brethren appointed of God in their 
several callings and offioes of th^ 
holy priesthood. It may seem 
rather a dry and formal matter to. 
some of the people to come together 
and lift up their hands to sustain 
the authorities of the Church, but 
it is a necessary duty and, if we. 
look at it properly, we shall take 
pleasure therein. It may seem a> 
little monotonous, but, • as I have 
said, it is necessary, for it was da* 
signed by the Almighty in the or< 
ganization of this Church, that the 
voice of the people should respond 
to the voice of the Lord. It is the 
voice of the Lord and the voice i>f 
the people together in this Church* 
that sanctions all things therein^ 
In the rise of the Chuvch .the Lord* 



46 



JOURNAL or DISOOCatSBB. 



gave a revelation which said that 
*^ all things shall be done by common 
consent." And the Lord designs 
that every individual member shall 
take an interest therein, shall bear a 
part of the responsibility, and shall 
take upon him or her the spirit of 
the Church, and be an active living 
member of the body. It is designed 
that this Church shall be alive in its 
parts ; that every individual particle 
shall be influenced by the spirit thereof 
When the human body is in a heal- 
thy condition, the spirit that dwells 
therein animates every portion ; but 
when the body gets into an unheal- 
thy condition, there are parts of it 
through which the spirit does, not 
circulate. So with the Church that 
the Lord has established upon the 
earth. There are plenty of dead 
forms in the world ; religious insti- 
tutions that are not alive, but are 
forms without the power. The Lord 
is building up a society, a kingdom, 
if you will, which he designs to ani- 
mate by his power in every part ©f 
it And this is necessary for the 
good of the whole that every indivi- 
dual member of the Church may be 
inspired by the spirit that dwells in 
the body, and that the inspiration 
thereof may not only rest upon the 
twelve apostles, upon the various 
presidents of Stakes and the bishops 
who take charge of the various wards, 
and upon the teachers who minister 
among the people, but that it may 
go to every individual member of 
the Church, that the whole body 
may be filled with life, and all be in 
unison with the highest powers. 
Therefore, we are called together 
from time to time to manifest our 
willingness to sustain the men pre- 
siding over us, through whom comes 
the word of the Lord to us in an 
organized capacity. It is our privi- 
lege individually to receive the Word 
•f the Lord direct. The twelve 



apostles stand to communicate the 
word of the Lord to the Church as a 
whole. The word of the Lord to the 
Church comes through its presidency 
In the various stakes it comes 
through the authorities appointed 
there, and is given to the wards 
through the bishops. But it is our 
privilege also to receive the word of 
the Lord direct to ourselves each in 
our individual sphere and capacity, 
for we hold a relationship to God as 
individuals, as well as a community. 
It is our privilege if we live aright, 
each one for himself to receive direct 
from the fountain of life, intelligence, 
wisdom and knowledge for our 
individual guidance, inspiration to 
direct us in all things that we are 
called upon to perform. The father 
of a family has a right to receive the 
inspiration of the Holy Ghost to 
direct him in all things pertaining to 
his house-hold, to give words of wis- 
dom and counsel to his wives and 
his children and all within the sphere 
of his authority and influence. It is 
the privilege of every mother to have 
the spirit of the Lord to direct her 
in the course she shall take with her 
children. And it is the privilege 
of every boy and girl, who has been 
baptized into the Church, to receive 
the Holy Ghost for their guidance, 
so that the whole Church may be 
quickened, bodily and spiritually, 
with that life that comes from above j 
so that God may be able to impress 
us as individuals with desires and 
intelligence for the accomplishment 
of his purposes. And we should sa 
live as to be in harmony with the 
authorities of the Church ; hi har-^ 
mony with those who preside over 
us, that we may be able to see as 
they see, and act as they desire us t» 
act when they give us the word of 
the Lord. But we cannot do that 
unless we possess this spirit. And 
not only should we be m harmonj 



THE WORri OF THK LORI), BtC. 



60 



with those men, but with the powers I 
behind the vail ; and we should be 
so tuned that our whole natures will 
be in perfect accord with the influ- 
ehces that come from on high, and 
be sensitive to the impressions God 
intends to make upon us. 

We sustain our brethren of the 
twelve, as prophets, seers, and re- 
velators ; and I haVe heard it re- 
marked by some brethren, that they 
could not see any need of doing so, 
and that holding up their hands 
does not make those men prophets, 
seers and revelators. That is true 
enough as far as it goes. But by 
sustaining these brethren in our 
customary way, we manifest t« God 
and the powers behind the vail, who 
work with the brethren in the flesh, 
that we are willing to receive any 
revelation that the higher powers 
may see fit to communicate through 
them in that capacity. We have a 
great deal of principle and doctrine 
given to us through the means of 
the Bible, ffae Book of Mormon, 
the Doctrine and Covenants, etc., 
with which we ought to make our- 
selves thoroughly familiar. At the 
same time we have men presiding 
over us in this Church through 
whoni the word of the Lord will 
€ome in our present circumstances 
for our guidance and for the guid- 
ance of the whole Church in its on- 
ward march, as the exigencies of the 
case may require. And when we 
lift up our hands to heaven to sus- 
tain them, we manifest that we hold 
ourselves in readiness to receive the 
word of the Lord whenever he sees 
fit to impart it to us. They are the 
legal channels ; they are the ap- 
pointed receptacles to receive the 
words of the Lord for us as an organ- 
ized body; and by lifting up our 
hands to heaven in this way, we 
ahow to God and to an^ls, that we 
are ready at any time, if the Lord 



has a word of revelation to commu- 
nicate to us, to receive it, no matter 
how it may come ; whether by the 
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, or 
otherwise ; by means of the Urim 
and Thummim, if he sees fit to re- 
store it to the Church, which he will 
do as sure as we are gathered here 
to-day, and a man will stand up like 
unto Moses, who will communicate 
the word of the Lord unto us, line 
upon line and precept upon precept, 
until God brings forth everything 
needed for the building up of his 
work; and the things kept hidden 
from the foundation of the world 
will be brought forth, and all the 
ancient records that have been lost 
will be brought to light, by men 
through whom God shall operate' by 
means of the Urim and Thummim 
as well as by the inspiration of the 
Holy Ghost. We manifest to him 
by our uplifted hands that we will 
receive his word by inspiration, by 
the Urim and Thummim, or by reve- 
lation, or the ministration of angels, 
or in any way he may be pleased to 
communicate. It is fitting then that 
we should do this. We do not know 
when the Lord may have some new 
word for us. I am sorry to say we 
do not all know what is placed ou 
record, for we do not often read it. 
Nevertheless the Lord may see fit to 
impart to us something not placed 
on record, and we should be ready 
and willing to receive every word of 
counsel, or instruction, or command, 
or rebuke that he may see fit to im- 
part. It is necessary also that we 
should show to our brethren who are 
called to these various offices that 
we are willing to sustain them. For 
they have not called themselves, 
neither do they run for office ; we 
are not office-seekers in this Church. 
It is very generally the case that a 
man who seeks an office is not a fit 
and proper person to occupy it. But 



48 



JOURNAL OF DISG0URSS8. 



we are willing to receive any ap- 1 
pointmeiit or calling the Lord may I 
see fit to place us in ; we are on 
hand, we are ready ; but we are not 
office-seekers. As I have said the 
men whom we voted to sustain this 
morning, the presidency of the stake, 
bishops, home missionaries, etc., did 
not call themselves, but have been 
called to act in those positions ; and 
they are not paid for it either, that 
is in worldly wealih. Of course 
they are blessed and paid, as every 
man is paid when doing good, in the 
blessings pertaining to his calling. 
For every man called to occupy any 
position can, if he seeks aright, ob- 
tain the spirit of that calling, and 
in that tliere is peace and joy and 
satisfaction, so that he is paid in his 
labors in any office which he may be 
called to fill. But our brethren do 
not thrust themselves forward to 
seek for position. Somebody else 
calls them, and we, to-day, manifest 
our willingness to sustain them in 
those callings, and to give them the 
benefit of our faith and prayers, and 
to assure them that so far as we are 
placed under their counsel we will 
accept it and act upon it. So this is 
a good work we do. It does not 
take a great deal of time or labor ; 
and it is a fitting duty for Latter-day 
Saints to perform, and I feel that we 
are privileged in so doing. 

As the children of God, we need 
to rally around our brethren who 
are acting in the various offices in 
this Chur'ch, and be one with them ; 
and not only manifest this by lifting 
up our hands, but by really sustain- 
ing them in the positions they are 
called to fill, so far as lies within our 
power, each one taking an interest 
ih these things, each o^e feeling 
that he has a part in this matter. 
For this work does not rest altogether 
upon those required to act in official 
positions, but upon every individual 



called by the name of Latter-day 
Saint. Some people think that the 
sphere of labor they are called to 
occupy, is not a great one^ 
that if they were called to 
occupy some office in the Church 
they could accomplish more good 
and have something more to Uve for. 
But I think we shall discover that if 
we are all anxious to fill our sphere 
of action, we can find ample oppo- 
tunity fur the exercise of those 
powers with which Uod has endowed 
us ; every man and woman can find^ 
a sphere of usefulness if they are 
desirous ; each one can find his or . 
her own place, and we will all come 
to it by and by. I believe it to be 
one of the powers and authorities 
of this priesthood that God has re- 
vealed from heaven, to find out the 
place for which every individual ia 
the church is adapted, and to get. 
them into place. 

"A place for eveiytlun^, and 
Everything in its place." 

And the time will come when the 
Lord shall have est^lished his 
Church perfectly upon the earth, 
and all things move in their proper 
course, that God will find a place 
adapted to every person, in which, 
each will have more joy than in any 
other place and be able to do 
more good to the communify thai^ 
in any other. And we can find 
this measurably to-day if we are de- 
sirous to do so. For there is an 
ample sphere of labor for every 
man, and also for every woman, 
in this Church. Every man in this^ 
house, this morning, whether bishop^ 
teacher, or missionary to preach the 
Gospel^ can find somethmg to do 
for the exercise of the powers with 
which he is endowed, magnifying^ 
his office or calling in the priesthooa - 
— for we nearly all have some por-: 
tionofthe priesthood. If we seek 
for the spirit of that calling, we shaU. 



THK WORD OF THE LOKD^ STO. 



.i» 



£nd plenty of opportanity for the 
exercise of its d uties. But the great 
difficulty is, mauy of us are content 
simply to be ordaiaed to the priest- 
hood. " I atn a high priest, or sev- 
enty, or an elder, as the case may be, 
and am satisfied with my calling ; 
and do not seek for anything 
further.'' Now, my,.brethren, there 
are privileges and powers pertaining 
to these callings — ^and we can read 
about them here in this book (Doc- 
trine and Covenants), and what the 
various duties are of these different 
callings in the priesthood. The 
powers of the Aaronic priesthood 
reach out a great way, for we are 
told that that priesthood holds the 
keys of the ministration of angels. I 
wonder how many there are who 
obtain such a blessing as this 1 J 
do not know whether we are fit for 
communion with the higher powers, , 
,the beings sent forth to '^ minister 
unto the heirs of salvation.'* But 
we read that the Melcbisedec priest- 
hood contains greater powers than 
that. It not only holds the keys of 
the ministration of angels, but of 
communion with the heavenly Jeru- 
aal^ni, the general assembly and 
churcK of the fir^t-bom with Jesus 
Christ the HecUa^or of the u».yr 
covenant and God the highest and 
holiest ot all. And the time will 
come when under this priesthood to 
those who ho}d this authoriliy and 
calling, and have the spirit of it acui 
minister in that s^pirit and obtain 
the pojwer thereof, the Lord will 
unveU his face and they shall gaze 
upon his glory. That time will come, 
for there is no word of the Lord 
.revealed but what will come tor passj 
tt may np.t cotme in the time and 
^ea^n we' expect it, or when we are 
tookW fjor it; but we may be 
j^urea th^t ;er€^,thiug that Qod 
ibas promiaf^d by ^ the power of t^e 
Koly Gb(3^t>thcctli^h hisfervants.will 
No. 4. ' ' 



come to pass in his due time. Th^ 
time will come when the servants 
of the living God will purify them- 
selves before him until they will be 
fit to receive these blessings. When 
that holy temple is built in Zion 
God will take away the veil from the 
eyes of his servants ; and the day is 
yet to dawn when the sons of Moses 
and Aaron, having become sanctified 
to the renewing of their bodies, will 
administer in that holy house, and 
the veil will be taken away, and 
they will gaze upon the glories of 
that world now unseen, and upon 
the faces of beings now to them 
invisible ; but it will be when they 
have purified themselves from the 
evils of this world, and are reaUy 
the servants of the living God, and 
temples of the Holy Ghost. 

We can get a measure of the spirit 
of this calling to- day, and by the 
power thereof we can have commu- 
nion with our Father. Not only 
through the living oracles in a 
Church capacity, but as individual 
members of the Church we can 
come near unto the Lord, so that 
there will be no barrier . between us 
and.himj.and.so that his Spirit ca^ 
cqme upoi^ u? ^pdy, and the Ugl^t 
of piod,^;^ illumnate ouf souls ap|l 
so direct us. that tv^e may l^ave'ih^e 
life and ,^trpDgtljL of this etefn^ 
priesthooi . For this priesthood is a 
iq£^ity ^nd not a mere name ; it is 
not a mere calling ini word, but an 
o^ce which confers ^ppn us power 
and mflii^n^ that comes from the 
Aimighty. I^kjoow that mei^ hold- 
ing th|E| pfij^^ihood, and who m^gnifir 
it and v^m^ the.epirit ,.^n4 pow^r 
ofiys^rj^di^erent from ^ther mi^ 
their influenjQ^ , anji anotives> a^e 
different tljj^jr iifelii?^ aj;e diffi^e^t 
and the. spmt.^Bi^ igftuence rtjj^y 
carry with them are ^inetent. Such 
xf^pn cango ^h ^x theimida^if $• 
wicj^d, w^fiapp^^ m t|je ^ww«pd 



'«b 



JOURNAI^ OK DISCOURSES. 



influence of their priesthood, like 
the garments they wear, and be 
separate from the world, and they 
pan carry an influence in the world 
which other men cannot carry. 
There is force in it, there is power 
and salvation in it ; and every man 
called to hold this priesthood -should 
be a minister of salvation in the 
midst of the earth. If he is not 
called to minister abroad in the 
world, he can be a minister of peace 
and righteousness at home ; he can 
strengthen the weak hands and con- 
firm the feeble knees, and drive 
away doubt from the sceptical mind ; 
bear testimony to the truth which 
he has received and understands, 
and wherever he goes he can carry 
the Spirit and blessing of God that 
will build the people together, and 
thus help to build up the king- 
dom of God. And he will not spread 
contention or encourage any spirit 
which would prompt men to speak 
evil of each other ; he will not en- 
courage anything that savors of con- 
tention and strife and disunion, but, 
on the contrary, will encourage all 
that tends to unite the people toge- 
ther. And any man holding the 
priesthood has power to do that 
much in the sphere which he is 
called to occupy. And also of speak- 
ing a word in due season, and of 
standing in his calling and of being 
a representative of l£e Most High 

; Ood. 

And the sisters, too, have also a 

' good, wide sphere. I was pleased to 
see that the presidency of the Relief 
Society was presented and sustained 
at this Conference. The sisters are 

'one with the brethren in their labors, 
and have duties peculiar to them- 

' Belves, in carrying on the work which 
Qod has given them to do. It has 
been well said, that " Man is not 

' ^thout the woman, nor the woman I 
without the man, in the Lord." / 



And we shall find that through all 
eternity the sexes go together, and 
that the female portion of God's 
children have a part and a lot in this 
matter as well as the mala These 
Relief Societies give opportunity for 
our sisters to do much good, and 
even those who do not belong to 
the society have frequent opportu- 
nities for doing good. Every 
mother has a field of usefulness at 
home among her own children ; this 
is her peculiar sphere. Do not let 
me be understood to mean that 
woman should be a fixture in the 
house, to be tied up to a table leg, 
or to a wash-tub. I think many of 
our sisters stay at home too much. 
If they would make it their business 
to take more out-door exercise they 
would find it a relief to the monoto- 
ny of household work. I do not be- 
lieve that women should be tied up 
at home ; but I say that home is 
woman's peculiar sphere. She reigns 
there as queen ; she can make that 
home comfortable, peaceful and 
pleasant for the husband, so that he 
would rather come there than any 
other place on earth ; and that wo- 
man is foolish, I think, who does 
not do this. Women should make 
their homes as comfortable as they 
can, with the means at their com- 
mand, that the husband, the children 
and all that belong to the family 
may be glad to come home to enjoy 
the society of the family circle. 
Right there is where a woman can 
exercise the great power God has 
given unto her. What a blessing it 
& when the Lord gives to a woman 
children, boys and girls bom heirs 
to the covenant, heirs to the holy 
priesthood, that they may grow up 
with natural rights to the blessings 
of the priesthood ; to become ser- 
vants of the Most High ; to become 
vessels for the Holy Spirit to dwett 
in ; to become representatives of the 



THB WORD OF THE LORD, ETC. 



51 



Lord upon the earth; to become 
ministers of salvation for the living 
and the dead ! What a sphere for 
the labors of these sisters, to train 
up the minds of their children in the 
fear of the Lord ; to teach the boys 
good principles ; to teach them as 
well as the girls to be virtuous, pure, 
^chaste, and holy, for those that are 
unholy cannot receive the fullness of 
'the blessing and power of God, that 
is, like those who keep themselves 
pure before him. And the brethren 
•can plant these ideas in the minds of 
•their boys, and if not fully at first, 
by and by they will be enabled to 
<comprehend their full meaning. 
Fathers should take all the time 
they can in instructing their children 
but the mothers are with them so 
much more and have so much greater 
influence over them in a certain 
direction, and therefore they should 
seek to exercise their powers by 
training up their children in the 
way they should go. And we are 
not required to train them up by 
word and precept alone, but by ex- 
ample. If we do not want our 
children to use strong drink, it will 
aot do for us to use it. Try there- 
fore to set our children exapples 
which we would feel perfectly will- 
ing that they should imitate. Our 
sisters can work in this way both by 
precept and example, and above all 
things by the spirit they carry ; they 
can impress the minds of the young 
and rising generation so that they 
in&y grow up with a natural tenden- 
cy to that which is holy. Let girls 
be brought up by a mother who is 
full of kindness and love and charity 
— ^which are much more beautiful 
adornments than the glittering show 
of jewelry; earthly jewels are 
nothing in comparison to those 
precious jewels of eternity, and all 
the finery that woman could put on 
ia nothing to the adornment of the 



mind which peculiarly shines out in 
the mothers and daughters of Israel 
— let a mother be embued with this 
good, kind, teachable spirit and she 
can surround her children with it, 
she can have that spirit in the home 
where she resides. And although 
she may have a great many cares 
and tribulations and trials which 
may tempt her to anger, yet, sho 
can conquer all the passions that will 
rise up in her nature and subdua 
them, and can train up her children 
in the midst of these adverse circum- 
stances, in the fear of God, and her 
tribulations will be turned to her 
good, and it will be easy for her 
children to walk in the way of God, 
and they will grow up with a natu- 
ral repugnance for the things which 
are evil, and a natural desire to re- 
ceive in their hearts ever> thing that 
is good. The Jjord is saying to the 
north, •"Give up ; and to the south, 
keep not back : bring my sons froQi 
far, and my daughters from the ends 
of the earth.'' He has brought us 
to this place from the nations of the 
earth that we may become a chosen 
generation, a royal priesthood, a 
holy nation, a peculiar people zeal- 
ous of good works. This is why He 
has given unto us laws with regard 
to the marriage relations, that Israel 
shaU not marry Gentiles ; that Israel 
shall wed Israel ; that the daughters 
of God shall marry the sons of God, 
etc., in order that our children may 
be heirs to the blessings pertaining 
to the everlasting covenant, that by 
and by there may be a race of men 
and women upon the earth tvho will 
be holy unto the Lord, bom with 
natural desires in them to do right, 
which they have inherited from 
their parents, who shall train them 
up in the way they should go, with 
that holy atmosphere surrounding 
them, that they may be thoroughly 
under the influence of the spirit that 



52 



JOtTRXAL OF DlSCOtJI&ig. 



/bo'nies from on high, that their 

' whole natures inay bie sensitive to the 
whisperings of Almighty God, that 
"they may grow up, his sons and 
daughters, and that it may be a mark 
Hf honor that such and such men 
were " born in Zion." The Lord 
will give honor unto such people. 
And their sons will go to nations 

■ afar off and the earth will tremble 
under their voice, and evil spirits 
that are deceiving the sons of men 

' will flee before them, for the power 
of the priesthood will be with them. 
And they will search out the. seed of 
Israel wherever they preach to them 
the Gospel in their own tongue by 
the power of the Almighty — ^for this 
the gift of tongues was designed — 
and they will gather in the seed of 
Israel to the Zion of our God, And 
he will be their strength ; he will go 
before them and be round about 

'them. And our daughters will grow 
i^p pure and virtuous, and the angels 
<if God will be round about them. 
And the Lord will multiply his peo- 
ple upon the earth until all things 
are fulfilled^ his kingdom will be 
built up, the Lord Jesus Christ will 
come, and all that has been spoken 
Ijy the prophets will be brou^t lio 

,ijass. 

Now, these things are right before 

' us, God expects us to be a difler- 
cnt kind of people from those in the 
world. He does not expect us to 

'fee of the world, worldly. We have 
come here to be separate from the 
world, that we may purge ourselves 
from the spirit of Babylon. We 
must have different motives from 
the world, we must not have the 

' 9ame desires as the Gentiles, for 
their hearts are set upon the things 
of this life. TCjljdy. worship the 
wealth of the wond. I hope to see 
the time when every Latter-day 
Saint will have plenty, and the time 
will come when God will give unto 



his people all the wealth they destiB-,. 
but that will be when they knirw 
how to use it aright, and when th^ 
hearts are right and set upon the- 
law of the Lord and upon the 
counsel of his will^ and when they 
will be willing to nse it for his gIoi?y 
and the blessing of their race. We 
must remember we are Latter-day 
Saints, having come here to serve 
the Lord, to learn his ways and walk 
in his paths, and to unite ourselves, 
together, that we may be a solid, 
compact body, a living body filled 
with the spirit of life and light thit 
comes from God, ready at any 
moment, as individuals or as an. 
organized church community to- 
move forward in any direction 
required, that the word of God may* 
be proclaimed, that Israel may be 
gathered and the Kingdom of God 
built up, and the power taken out 
of the hands of the wicked and vested 
in the hands of the servants of Qdd^ 
who will rule in righteousness lit 
the midst of the earth. 

I bear my testimony to this c6n~ 
gregation, liiiany of whom ai^ 
strangers to me, and some of whtim 
I have mat, conversed with and 
labored with in foreign lands ; I can 
say to you J&ll tliat I know this wo A 
is true. I know by the revelaiioh 
of the Holy Spirit that the Lord hfis 
commenced the great work of the 
latter days spoken of by tlie 
prophets. I know it will renaaSh, 
and will prevail; though all the 
world rise up against it — as they will 
do some day, not only this natibily. 
but others — and will say, "Let her be 
defiled." But they know not ttie 
Lord, neither do they understand 
the counsels of his will. For he wfll 
say unto Zion, " Aiise and thresh, O 
daughter of Zion : for I will ma(e 
thine horn iron, and 1 will m^e 
thine hoofs brass : and thou shsQt 
beat in pieces many people : and' I 



CO-OPERATIO§I ANfl THK XINITpp ORDER, BTC. 



53, 



ill consecrate their ^in \into the 
li^y and their subdtaiioe unto the 
* .. of Ihe whole eai^tlj;" T^iou^' 
iiatiohis ofipbsk' this. Wprk . will 
, -onward to cotnmetion ; fdr the 
jwrer of God will be in our midst 
d we shall be able to accomplish 
h greater ease and facility everjr- 
ing we are directed to do. This 
pgdbm will preyail, apd thi^ work 
n^Il roll on and accomplish every- 
thing predicted. And the time will 
come when the pure and good of 
©Very clime will gather up to Zion ; 
and the Temple will be built in the 
«ehtre city of Zion, the New Jeni- 
sijem, and the glory of God will 




rest upon it, and the purposes of God . 
will be developed and hfs kfp^dom-^ 
roll on, wliiie thd kingdtJms df tMi" 
w^orid, irith' all' <heit ^ ^tiip" totf^ 
felrfendbi^, will fee trough^ teVj «4Wf 
God through his priesthood; wfll^ 
rule from thfe riVers to the' ends oiK 
the e&rth. And Christ our Eedeettiiir ' 
will come and bring hts reWahi 
with him. 

May God help us to be faithMin 
this work, so that when h^ sh'itt' 
come, we may 21^ individuals and a* 
church be puMed and prepared to 
enter into -jflKe joy of our L^ord to 
receive the fullness of the blfessingit^ 
of the Gospel of peace. Amen. 



DISCOUESE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR, 

DSX«IV£BEP AT THE REGULAR PRIESTHOOD MEETING OF THE WeBER StAKB 

OF Zion, Held at Ogden, on the 21st September, 1878. 



(Reported hy Geo, P. Oibhs.) 



co-operatiqn and the united order — the saints should be 
governed by the law and will of god — the approaching 
calamitiks upon the world — should be willing to forsake 

earthly INTERESTS FOR THE GOSPEL*S SAKE. 



I have been desirous to meet with 
the priesthood of this Stake, and I 
have invited :a^umber of the presi- 
d^ts of Stakes within this district 
of country to be pi:esent at this 
m^f^ting, for the consideration of 
^^rtain questions that have been 

i^resi^ng themselves upon my mind 
or some time, that 1 want to lay 
before the people here. 



We have met here in a capacity of 
the holy priesthood, and all of us 
profess to be elders in Israel, and to 
be disposed at least to walk accord- 
ing to the order of God, and to seek 
to establish the principles of 
righteousness as far as lies in ou^ 
power, and to try to build up his 
kingdom on the earth. That, at 
least, is oui jprofession, and I h>elieve 



54 



JOURNAL OF DISGOUBSES. 



is the sentiment of the hearts of 
most of the brethren now assembled. 
At the same time we have different 
ideas about many things, particularly 
things of a temporal nature, so ealled, 
We go in a good deal for what is 
called ''free trade and sailor's rights" 
— ^we want to enjoy a large amount 
of liberty. All these things are very 
popular and very correct. But in 
cfor acts and doings it is necessary 
that we be governed by certain laws 
and principles which have beengiven 
unto us by the ^ Lord. We all con- 
cede to this. But there are some 
things we seem to be very much con- 
fused about, in regard to our tem- 
poral matters. During the lifetime 
of President Young — several years 
ago, it seemed as though he was 
wrought upon to introduce co-opera- 
tion and the United Order, to quite 
an extent. He told us at the time 
that it was the word and the will of 
God to us. I believed it then ; and 
I believe it now. And yet, at the 
same time, every kind of idea, feel- 
ing and spirit has been manifested. 
In many places co-operation and the 
TJnited Order have been started 
under various forms ; in some they 
have succeeded very well, and in 
other places people have acted fool- 
ishly and covetously, seeking their 
own personal, individual interests 
under the pretense of serving God 
and carrying out his designs. Others 
have been visionary and have under- 
taken things which were impracti- 
cable, while others have not acted 
in good faith at all. There has been 
•very kind of feeling among us as a 
people, that is possible to exist 
anywhere. And I have thought 
sometimes in regard to our co-opera- 
tive institutions, that some of those 
who are engaged in them and sustain- 
ed by them are as much opposed to 
co-operation and United Order as 
any other class of people we have. 



At least, I have noticed feelings or 
that kind. I do not say they ^ure 
general. But there are certain reflect . 
tions in relation to these matters that 
have been pressing upon my mind 
for some time. And let me here- 
ask myself a question — a question 
not of a personal nature ; I have not 
come here to talk about any personal 
matters at all, but upon principle 
and upon some of those principles 
that we as Latter-day Saints, and as 
elders in Israel, profess to believe in. 
The question would be and my text 
would be to-day, if I wanted to take 
a text : Shall we sustain co-operation 
and the United Order, and work 
with that end in view in all of our 
operations, or shall we give it up as- 
a bad thing unworthy of our atten- 
tion? That is where the thing 
comes to, in my mind. At any rate> 
we wish to act honestly and honor- 
ably in this matter. If we believe 
that these principles are true, let us. 
be governed by them ; if we do not, 
let us abandon them at once, con 
elude that we have made a mistake 
and have no more to do with thenL 
For we, all of us, profess to be at 
least honest men, and to act con- 
scientiously. If there is anything 
wrong in these things, let us know 
the wrong ; and if it is not a com- 
mand of God, and not binding upon 
us, let us quit it. And then tho 
question naturally arises. Are we 
prepared to do this 9 And, on tho 
other hand, if we believe that these 
are principles that are inculcated by 
the Lord, then let us be governed by 
them. In fact, whichever way we 
decide let us carry out our decisions 
in good faith, and not have our sign 
painted on one side in white aud' on 
the other black or some oiher color. 
But let us feel as the prophet Elijah 
did on a certain occasion, '* If thp 
Lord be God, follow him ; but if 
Baal, then follow him." There waft 



GO-OPERATION AND THS UNITED ORDER, BIO. 



(»5 



a disposition in ancient Israel to 
have a part of God and a part of 
the devil or Baal — an idola- 
trous god which was wor- 
shipped by them. I sometimes 
think that in some respects we are a 
good deal like tliem. Do we believe 
oar religion 1 Yes. Do we believe in 
the holy priesthood and that God has 
restored it to the earth] Yes. Do we 
believe that God lias established his 
kingdom] Yes. And do we believe 
that the holy priesthood is under 
the guidance of the Lord ] O^ yes ; 
but still we would like a good deal 
of our own way. If we must intro- 
duce something that the Lord has 
commanded, we would like to put it 
off just as far as we can, and if we 
cannot do it any other way we will 
fight against it, according to circum- 
stances, and how things move and 
operate. We often wish the Lord 
would not exact certain things of us; 
Wb would rather have our own way. 
But let us look at things calmly and 
dispassionately. As I understand it, 
the Lord has gathered us together to 
do his will, to observe his laws and 
keep bis commandments. And we 
have certain obligations devolving 
upon us in the holy priesthood 
which God requires at our hands. 
He requires, for instance, ot the 
Twelve to go, when called upon, to 
the nations of the earth and preach 
tfie Gospel to those nations. If they 
were nat to do it, would they be 
justified ] No, they would not ; God 
would require the blood of the 
people at their hands. That is the 
way I figure up these things. I do 
not know of any half-way house. As 
one ot tlie Twelve, I do not want to 
dodge any of these questions, but 
meet them fairly and squarely. And 
I think I have done it; ^nd I think 
the Twelve generally have. They 
have always been on hand to go 
anywhere when the Lord has re- 



quired them to go, whether in sick- 
ness or health, in poverty or abound-, 
ing in means ; no matter what their 
circumstances, or what individual-, 
ism would have to be sacrificed, thehr 
object has ever been to do the wiU 
of God. And so it has been with a 
great many of the seventies, high 
priests and also with a great many 
of the elders. Their feeUngs have 
been : Let the Lord speak, and here 
am I, ready to do his will and carry 
out his designs. And this feeling 
exists to-day in the hearts of a great 
many ; but there are also a great 
many who do not feel so, who want 
to dodge these questions. Here is 
Brother Eldredge, who is one of the 
presidents of the seventies ; he knows 
how extremely difficult it is to get 
men, as we used in former years — 
"at the drop of the hat/' as it was. 
termed, to go on missions. How- 
ever, I do not wish to dwell upon 
that ; I merely refer to it in passing 
along. 

We are here, as I understand it, 
as Jesus was, *' Not to do our own 
will, but the will of our Father who 
sent us." If God had not felt after 
you, and his spirit operated upon you,, 
you would not be here in these 
mountains to-day. What does Jesus 
say about these things in speaking 
of them ] "I pray for them : 1 
pray not for the world, but for them 
which thou hast given me ; for they 
are thine.*' You have been in the 
same situation ; you have seen the 
elect of God gathered together 
through the medium of the holy 
priesthood, by the opening of the 
heavens and the revelation of the 
will of (lod to man and the restora- 
tion of the holy Gospel. You have 
been gathered together in this way, 
and we all have. What to do ] Is 
it, as they used to say in the Church 
of England, to follow the devices 
and desires of our own hearts ] Is 



56 



JOURJtfAL OF DIS(C0URSB8. 



it to follow out sotne i>etty scheme 
of our own ? I do not hO understand 
it ; I understand that it is to buHd 
ujp the Church and Mngdom of Godj 
t^poh the earth, and to prepare the 
earth and the people of the earth for 
the things that are coming on the 
^arth, afid to prepare ourselves, as a 
people, to receive further intelligence, 
wisdom and knowledge from God, 
that he may have a people in whom 
he can place confidence, and whom 
he can bless, and through them con- 
fer blessings on mankind. He 
expects us to build up his kingdom, 
and that is the first consideration 
with us. And this is what he told 
his disciples in former days " Seek 
ye first the Kingdom of God and his 
righteousness, and all these things" 
^-refeiring to our temporal con- 
cerns, M'hich comparatively are like 
80 many chips and whetstones — 
^* shall be added unto you.'* But 
ifaese things, too, enter into our 
daily life and our intercourse one 
with another, and into the purposes 
of God associated with the gathering 
6f his people together, that they 
inay be one, that through them he 
can communicate his will to the 
human family, that there may be a 
nucleus formed around which the 
honest in heart from all the world 
may rally ; and be in possession of the 
Word and will of the Lord, and the 
light, intelligence and revelations of 
God. our Father ; that the secret of 
the Lord might be with those who 
fear him, and that they might fear 
tim and understaiid the things 
Vhich are approaching, and prepare 
'the earth for those things that are 
coming. We appear here, as it 
N^ere, in a normal schoal, to prepare 
■ourselves to carry out the purposes 
of God upon the earth. Can you 
*lind a people anywhere on the earth 
""ijhat will listen to the word of God?. 
'!No, you cannot; neither can you find [ 



atiybody to whom God could commu- 
nicate his win. We talk a good 
deal, and often preach a ^od deal, 
about the judgments which are to 
come upon the earth : wars, pesti- 
lence, famine, and distress of nations, 
and testify that calamity will follow 
so continuously that by and by it 
will be a vexation to hear the report 
thereof We have talked about 
these things for years. I have my- 
self for upwards of forty years; and 
as I have said before, so I repeat, 
that these things which await the 
world, are forty years nearer than' 
they were forty years ago. God did* 
not mock us when he told us of these 
things; but uH- that he has said 
concerning them through ancient 
prophets and through Joseph Smith 
are true, and as sure as Gk>d livea 
they will take place. I will prophecy 
that they will take place as sure as 
God lives, and they are approaching 
very rapidly upon us. We are told 
that the day will come when he that 
will not take up his sword against 
his neighbor must needs flee to Zion 
for safety. And is that true? Yes, 
it is. If that should take place to- 
day, are we prepared for iti I think 
not. If we should go on for years 
as we are now going on shall we be 
prepared for it ? We are not^ to-day, 
all of us, preparing for these things. 
We can hardly manage a few miser- 
able apostates and a ffew Gentiles, 
and we feel very creepy sometimes 
about anything that traiispires, not. 
knowing how or what may be the 
result ; instead of bemg clothed upon 
with the spirit of God and being 
filled with the Holy Ghost, the light 
of revelation and the power of God. 
But we do not have this kind- of 
feeling, and we are divided up in our 
interest, om man pulling against 
another, so much so, that we have 
to-day all kinds of Gentilism among 
us. Even our newspapers give 



I 

\ 



CO-OPERATIOM: MSO) THK XmiTBIV OJRDER, ETC. 



»r^ 



eireulation to 'eertam diafieet ofi 
advertis^nentB viifidi^rei'aliviiigtie, 
and it is a shaMe aod diagraoe tfoat/ 
nuch thuigs should'be seeti^ in 2ittiv. 
S^me call it (je&tik}' tiiehipry, the 
tricks of trade etct, bot I call it 
chicanery and falsehood, and it is so 
in regard to many other things. 
B&Bs this comport with the position 
we occupy as men holding the holy 
priesthood) I do not think it does. 
I think we ought to occupy a more 
elevated and honorable position ; I 
think we » ought to be governed by 
other influences, and be actuated by 
other motives. I think that our lives, 
our desires, our feelings and our acts 
ought to be to try to build up Zion 
and establish the kingdom of God 
upon the earth ; that we should be 
united in our temporal as well as in 
our spiritual affairs, for God says : 
"If you are not one you are not mine." 
Do you believe it ? You elders of 
Israel, do you believe that saying? 
And if we are not the Lord's then 
whose are we 1 We have our own 
plans, our own notions and our own 
theories ; and as one of old esLpressed 
it, we are seeking for gain, every one 
ftom his own quarter. And we are 
governed to a very great extent by 
selfishness, and too mUch by our own 
personal feelings, and allow these 
things to influence us instead of 
being governed by those high, noble, 
dignified and glorious principles that 
dwell in the bo^om of God, which 
emanated from him, and which dwell 
also in the boeoms of those who in 
•sincerity fear God and keep his com- 
mandments. 

Now, I know what many of you 
will say, in speaking of co-operation : 
'* there has been a great many 
abuses." Yes, I admit it — ^numbers 
of them. ** What and under the 
name of the United Order alsof 
Yes, any quantity of them. Joseph 
Smith in his day said it was ex- 



tremely difficult to introduce theso 
things beoauseof the greed, covetoQi" 
ness, selfishness and wickedness* of 
the paopla I wish here to refer 
to one or tws* things connected with 
this subject. I spoke about the 
Twelve, the seventies, the elders 
and the high priests ; and stated that 
a great many of them had been out 
preaching the Gospel, and that some 
of them felt as though it is hard 
work. It is, no doubt, very up-hill 
business for a man to be a Saint if he 
is not one ; and if he has not the 
principles of the Gospel in his heart, 
it must b^ very hard work, I may 
say an eternal struggle, for him to 
preach. But if a man has got the 
pure principles of the Gospel in his 
heart, it is quite easy for him 
to expound the truth. Well, 
now, I will take the words of Jesus: 
^' Except a man can forsake father 
or mother, wife and children, houses 
and lands, lor my sake, he cannot be 
my disciple.'' And let me say to you, 
my brethren, that that Qospel is just 
as true to-day as it was then, that 
except a man is prepared to forsake 
his earthly interests for the sake 
of the Gospel of the Son of God, he 
is unworthy of it, and cannot be a 
true Saint. Now, this is where the 
hardship comes in and it also 
accounts for this eternal rubbing and 
bumping. "How much can't I do, 
and how little can I do to retain 
fellowship with the Church ; and 
how much can I act selfishly and 
yet be counted a disciple of Christl" 
Did you never feel as Paul describes 
it — the spirit striving against the 
flesh 1 I guess you have, and you 
doubtless know all about it ; for 
these are plain matters of fact. 
This is the position the Gospel has 
placed us in ; and it is a very difficult 
thing to serve two masters, in fact 
it is useless for any man to attempt 
to do it, " for (as the Savior swjns) 



58 



JOURNAL OF DI8G0UBSBS. 



either he will hate the one, and love 
the other : or else he will hold to 
the one and despise the other. Ye 
cannot serve God and mammon." 
And therefore Jesus said : '^ Take 
my yoke upon you, and learn of me; 
for I am meek and lowly of heart, 
and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 
For my yoke is easy, and my burden 
is light. 

But to return to the principles of 
eo-operation and United Order. 
Supposing a man had come to you 
elders, when you were out on mis- 
sions, requesting baptism at your 
hands, without having repented of 
his sins, would you have baptized 
himi No, you would not. But 
supposing he claimed to believe in 
the Lord Jesus Christ, but not in 
baptism ; would you receive him into 
the Church? No, you dare not do 
such things. But supposing a^in 
that he believed in baptism and in 
the Lord Jesus Christ, and had 
repentedof his sins, but did nob be- 
lieve in the laying on of hands for 
the reception of tlie Holy Ghost ; 
would you baptize him 1 No. And 
further supposing he had complied 
with all these requirements, and he 
had the opportunity to gather to 
Zion but did not improve the oppor- 
tunity, would you consider him a 
very good Saint? No. Now, be- 
side all these, the Lord has given 
us a law pertaining to tithing ; and 
if he did not comply with that would 
you consider him a good Saint? No, 
And we are told to build temples, 
and the man who would refuse to do 
this work, you would consider a very 

Sor specimen of a Lattea*-(lay Saint 
jferring to the Umted Order, the 
Lord has given us. to understand 
that irkosbever refuses to comply 
with the requirements of that law, 
his name shall not be known in the 
records of the Church, but shall be 
blotted out; neither shall his cliildren 



haveaninheritaneekiZion. Are these 
the words of the Lord to us ? I sup- 
pose there are none b^re to day hut 
would say, Yes. How, then 
can I or you treat lightly that which 
God has given us ? It is the word of 
Grod to me ; it is the word of God to 
you. And if we do not fulfil this 
requirement what is the result ? We 
are told what the result will ba 
These things have not taken place 
now ; but we have been wandering 
about from place to place, and the 
Lord has blessed us in a remarkable 
degree. And we are gathered toge- 
ther, as I have said, for the purpose 
of building up Zion, and we are sup- 
posed to be the servants of God 
havingengagedto perform this work ;. 
and individually, I would say, I do 
not want to profess to be a Saint, if 
I am not one, nor if the work we are 
engaged in is not of the Lord ; if the 
principles we believe in are false, I 
do not want anything to do with 
them ; on the other hand, if they 
are true then I want to be governed 
by them, and so do you. We must 
carry out the word and will of God, 
for we cannot afford to ignore it npr 
any part of it. If faith,, repentance 
and baptism and laying on of hands 
is right and true and demands our 
obedience, so does co-operation and 
the United Order. Some may say, 
here is such and such a man has be^n 
connected with the United Order, 
and how. foolishly he has acted, and 
others have gone into co-operation 
and made a failure of it. Yes, that 
may be all very true, but who is to 
blame? Shall we stop baptizing 
people and make no further efforts 
to establish the kingdom of God 
up')n the earth, because certain ones 
have acted foolishly and perhaps 
wickedly ? Do the actions of such 
people render the principles of the 
Gospel without effect or the do^ 
trines we teach untrue ? I thinly 



CO-OPERATION AND THl! UNITED ORDER, ETC. 



5^:^ 



y'#u would not say so. What do we 
do with such isases t We purge them 
dut, we cut them off according to 
the laws Grod has laid down ; but we 
do not stop the operations ot the 
Gospel, such a thought never enters 
our minds, for we know the work 
already commenced is onward and 
upward. Shall we then think of 
putting an end to these other princi- 
ples because men have acted foolishly 
and selfishly and done wrong 1 No, 
I think not ; I do not think we can 
choose one principle and reject ano- 
ther to suit ourselves. I think that 
all of these things, as we have 
received them, one after another are 
equally binding upon us, Jesus said, 
" Man shall not live by bread alone 
but by every word that proceedeth 
out from the mouth of God." This 
is as true to-day as it was when 
spoken. 

I have seen a disposition among 
many of the brethren to pull off in 
every kind of way, and this spirit 
and tendency is spreading and grow- 
ing in every part of our Territory. 
We have co-operative stores started, 
and we have the eye of God painted 
over the doors, with the words 
" Holiness to the Lord" written over- 
head. Do we act according to thati 
In a great many instances I am 
afraid not. But what of thati 
Shall we depart from these princi- 
ples 1 I think not. What was the 
principle of co-operation intended 
lor? Simply as a stepping stone 
for the United Order, that is all, 
that we might be united and operate 
together in the interest of building 
up Zion. Well, having started, what 
do we see ? One pulling one way 
another pulling another way ; every 
one taking his own course. One 
man says : Such a one takes his own 
course, and I will take mine. Using 
the same line of argument, because 
One man commits a wrong unworthy 



the calling of a Latter-day Saint, hia> 
doing so is to be an excuse for my 
doing the same thing. As I under-' 
stand it, I am oalled to fear God, i 
whether anybody else does it or not; 
and this is your calling just as much 
as it is mine. We may indeed shirk 
it and violate the covenants we have 
made. The Lord has blessed ua 
with endowments and covenants of 
which the world know nothing, 
neither can they know anything 
about it And he has given unto U8> 
these things that we might be> 
brought into closer union with God,> 
that we might know how to save our- 
selves, our wives and children, as 
well as our fathers and progenitors^ 
who have gone before us. Having* 
done this, what nextl God has 
revealed certain things to the children 
of men now as he formerly revealed 
the Gospel to the children of Israel. 
But could they stand it 1 No, they 
could not. Moses succeeded in lead- 
ing seventy of the elders of Israel to 
the presence of God ; he would have 
lead all Israel into his presence, but 
they would not be led ; they turned 
to idolatry, to evil and corruption, 
and hence they became disobedient 
and unmanageable. And when the 
Lord spake to them they became 
terrified and said, '^Let not God 
speak unto us lest we die.'* God 
wants to brin^ us near to him, for 
this purpose he has introduced the 
Gospel with all its ordinances. Has 
he been true to us? Yes. And 
when you elders have been out 
preaching and baptizing people for 
the remission of their sins, and when 
confirming them members ef this 
Church, you have said. Receive ye 
the Holy Ghost, have they received 
it 1 They have, Gt>d bearing witness 
of the truth of your words and of his 
ministry conferred upon you. 

Now then, he 6alls upon us to be 
one. What fori Because we are 



€0 



JOUHNA.1^ OF Df.^0mi^l(8. 



aasociated -with his kingdoiQ. Witb 
wh&t 1 With his kingdom. Whiki; 
irhis kinfflfom) It it hisgovert)* 
ipiBBt^ nHe, aathori/^t doninio^^ 

Ewer. etc. God has introduced 4is 
[igdom after his order, and it is for. 
him to guide that.kingdom auod direct 
It, and manage it, and maoipnlate it 
in the interest of the honest in hearty 
and of all nations. He has com- 
menced it among us that he might 
have a little nucleus where he could 
communicate and reveal his will, 
composed of such as would carry 
that will out, and do his bidding 
3xA obey his behests. That is what 
we are here for, and not to do our 
-cwn will, any more than Jesus came 
1^ do his will, but the will of his 
Pather. What do we know about 
building up the kingdom of God? 
What do we know about the calami- 
ties that are to come 1 1 can tell 
you that while we have peace to-day 
and everything runs smoothly and 
quietly on, the day is not far distant 
before the Lord will arise to shake 
terribly the earth, and it will be felt 
in this nation more keenly and more 
severely than any of you have seen 
it by a great deal, and I know it, and 
I bear testimony to it We have no 
time to experiment in following our 
own notions and ideas ; we have 
:k»mething else to do, we have got 
to build up the kingdom of God ; 
and in order to do this we must of 
necessity unite ourselves together, 
And seek to know the mind of God 
to carry it out. And all that we do 
should be done with this object in 
view. We have all kinds of indi- 
vidual interests and enterprises 
among us ; some men are operating 
4^uite considerably one way and 
another, and some are not. 
Brother Jennings, for instance, who 
is present with us to-day, besides 
cwningstookto the extent of $90,000 
in Z. C. M. I., i8> with others, 



engaged with oth^r, pjarsuit» of a 
maiittfaptiuaiig/ naturor which w^^ 
very UudaUe^ Suflfc . e^t^q^rij^^^, 
t«ad;t» give .em^loyinent tortile, p^o^ 
pie; and thifl is what we want, aivd 
what we must have sooner or lajter. 
There is ope Uuog, however, I wouJLd 
here say about forming unions apd 
partnerdiiips in any line of manu- 
facture : Let them be formed with 
the understanding that when the 
proper time shall arrive they can 
merge into co-operation, or the 
United Order. It is very important 
that in all of our undertakings we 
should have at heart this feeling and 
work to this end, and then we 
may reasonably expect that it can 
be but. a question of time to bring 
out a grand consolidation of all indi- 
vidual interests. I have been 
impressed in my feelings upon these 
subjects for some time, therefore I 
speak about them as I do. How 
many years is it since this- was started, 
and how little we h^ve done I I 
tell you if we go a little further in 
our drawing off, and each t^^inghis 
own course, God will leave us to our- 
selves. But he will not leave us as 
long as we manifest a desire to do 
right ; and I am pleased to say there 
is a feeling generally among the 
brethren to listen to counsel, yet at 
the same time we are. apt to get con- 
fused, forgetting the object we have 
in view, amidst the variety of things 
that present themselves. Shall wei 
my brethren, give up co-operation 1 
or shall we consider men in good 
fellowship who are pulling off in 
either direction, or shall we not) 
What shall we do ? Shall we be true 
to our religion, true to our faith, tr^ie 
to the principles that Gpd has oomr 
manded ; or shall we forsake them \ 
We will not forsake them, and the 
brethren generally do not feel like 
doing it ; but there are a few now 
and then who get off the track. We 



coHPRBHSNsnnttlBSs <Mr THS uaa/n pratsb, na 



€1 



want to get together and unite our 
hearts and sympathies into one, 
placing ourselves under proper direc- 
tion, holding ourselves in readiness 
to perform any work required by God 
at our hands. I will tell you in the 
name of Israers God that if you 
keep his commandments you will be 
the richest of all people, for God 
will pour wealth upon you ; but if 
you do not, you will have to struggle a 
good deal more than you have done 
for the Spirit and blessings of God 
will be withdrawn from us, jast in 
proportion as we withdraw ourselves 
from God. We are living in an 
eventful age, an age in which many 
wonderful changes are to be 
wrotight. We are told many other 



tilings of a similar nature, that ht 
who will not take up his swovi 
against his neighbor, must needs fle^ 
to Zion for safety. The Latter-di^ 
Saints will see the day when peop& 
will flock to Zion, and many of them 
will say, we do not know anythmg 
about your religion, but you are au 
honorable, just, industrious and 
virtuous people, you administer jus- 
tice and equity, and the rights of 
man are protected and maintained. 
You maintain good government, 
extending protecticm to everybody, 
and we want to live with you and 
be one with you. We want to pre- 
pare ourselves for these things, for 
they are coming as sure as God lives; 
Amen. 



DISCOUKSB BY PBESIDEST JOHN TAYLOR, 

DBJTSRBD IN TBB SALT LAXE ASSBMBIiY HALL, At TH£ QUABTEBLY €(09 
FERENCE, SUNDAY AFTEBKOON, JANUARY 4l>H, 1880. 

(Reported by John Irvme<J 

CdMPREH]KNBiy£NES& OF THE LORd's PRAYER — THE RUU AND GOVUnRN- 
MENT ' OF OOB — THE REVELATION OF THE FATHER AND SON TO 
JOI^fiPH SMFTH, AND THE BESTOWAL UPON HiM OF THE PRIESTHOOD 
— ^DEVELOPMENT OF THEOCRATIC LAWS AND PRINCIPLES -OBJECT OF 
6ATHERING~-RELmi0rS FRBBD0M--OI7R RELATIONS WITH THE QENliB- 
KAL GOVERNMENT. 



I ^liive t)een v^ry much pleased 
and 'interested in -the proceedings 
of this conference and in the teach- 
ings 'th^t <ire' have 'had fromt^nose 



who have' addressed us, and I taice 
very great pleasure in performing Hky 
pkrt in thcMse elsercises in whi6k>we 
«6^ now (MigagM. It would. 



€2 



jOvbnal of disgoubai^s. 



that this building is rather too small 
for us at present ; I do not know 
that we can stretch it any ; conse- 
aequently we will put up with things 
as -they are. However it will only be 
on extraordinary occasions that we 
ahall have the amount of people in 
it that there is to-day. By and by 
the storms will be over and the 
winter past, and we have got a 
larger building close by, that we can 
go to. I am very much pleased how- 
ever, with the exertions that have 
been made in preparing this building 
so far, it is tme that it is in an 
unfinished condition for the assem- 
bling of the Saints at this conference ; 
but I suppose that it will be quite 
gratifying to the priesthood and to 
all who have assembled together on 
this occasion, to possess the privilege 
we now enjoy. 

There are a few thoughts that 
have passed through my mind in 
hearing the remarks of some of my 
brethren. I was much pleased this 
morning in- listening to the remarks 
made by Brother Pratt and the 
brethren who succeeded him, particu- 
larly in regard to the subject that 
they seemed to have their minds 
upon, that is in relation to the ob- 
servance of the word of wisdom ; and 
although, like Brother Pratt, I should 
have t« make an acknowledgement 
that I have not fulfilled thatalways, 
yet, I heartily sustain and coincide 
with every principle that God has 
revealed for the temporal or spiritual 
iBalvation of his people. There were 
some remarks associated with those 
made by some of the brethren that 
also bore a little on my mind, .namely, 

- that our religion did not consist 
simply in one principle but in many, 
agreeable to what has been spoken 

' in ancient days that " man shall not 
live by bread alone but by every 

' word that proceedeth out of the 

I i&«uth of God." . But we are none 



of us justified in repudiating or 
ignoring any one of those principles 
which God has given unto us, and 
if we have been negligent in these 
or other matters the proper way far 
us to do is to reform, to begin anew, 
or, at least if we have let down 
any stitches, as the sisters some- 
times say when they are knitting, 
gather them up again and put things 
in proper position that we may be 
able, not only in that but in every- 
thing else, to honor our God in adl 
sincerity, fidelity and integrity ; that 
we may be able to present ourselves 
before the Lord in a manner which 
shall always have his acceptance. 

We need teaching continually, 
line upon line, precept upon precept, 
here a little and there a little. 
Hence we have our various organiza- 
tions of the priesthood, calculated to 
oversee to manipulate, to regulate, 
to teach, to instruct, and to enter 
into all the ramifications of life 
whether they pertain to this world 
or the world to come. We need 
continually not only the guidance 
and the teachings of the apostles, 
the presidents, the bishops, priests, 
teachers, deacons and the various 
organizations of the priesthood ; but 
we need individually to look unto 
the Lord for wisdom to direct us in 
all the affairs of life, that we may 
speak aright, that we may think 
aright, that we may act aright, and 
we may perform the various duties 
devolving upon us to attend to in all 
of the avocations of life, and in our 
prayers, in our various devotions in 
a family capacity, in a church capa- 
city and in every position that we 
oQCupy, we need the guidance and 
direction of the Almighty. And it 
is with individuals as it is with 
families and branches and portions 
of families, we need to seek unto 
the Lord and obtain wisdom from 
I him. There is one fact, and that is 



COMPREHENSFOOBMBSS 'OB VHfi LORD'S PRAYER, ETC. 



6d 



a great many people — scarcely any of 
tiB — ^know what is good for us. We 
may have our ideas about that ; but 
we need continually the guidance 
and direction of the Almighty. The 
disciples, that is the apostles of old, 
understood this principle and they 
asked the Lord to teach them how to 
pray and in a very few words he 
uttered one of the most compre- 
hensive forms that has ever been 
penned or spoken. He said when 
you pray say " Our Father, which art 
in heaven, hallowed be thy name, 
thy kingdom come, thy will be done 
on earth as it is done in heaven ; give 
us this day our daily bread ; forgive 
us our trespasses as we forgive them 
that trespass against us, and lead us 
not into temptation, but deliver us 
from evil ; for thine is the kingdom, 
the power and the glory, far ever and 
ever, amen.*' That is a most com- 
prehensive prayer. In the first 
place the Ood of the universe is 
recognized, our Father. who is in the 
heavens, the God and the Father of 
Jesus Christ. And what else 1 The 
God and Father of the spirits of all 
flesh. We recognisse and reverence 
him as *' Our Father, which art in 
heaven,", we bow before him and 
seeiq unto him for his guidance an<] 
direction. We hallow and reverence 
his name. And then what next] 
"Thy kingdom come." What king- 
dom 1 All those things branch out 
into great and important principles, 
that can only be understood by rev- 
elations from the Most High. "Thy 
kingdom come." Why^ That "thy 
will may be done on eartlfHis' it is 
done in heaven." 

I wish to refer a Kttle to some of 
i these things, those ideas and princi- 
ples that are developed in this say- 
ing, in part, because these things can 
> omy be done in part. We talk a 
good deal about the church and 
' nngdam of God. 1 80^letImes think 



we understand very little about 
either. The kingdom of God means 
the government of God. That means, 
power, authority, rule, dominion, 
and a people to rule over ; but that 
principle will not be fulfilled, cannot 
be entirely fulfilled, until, as we are 
told in the Scriptures, the kingdoms 
of this world are become the king- 
doms of our Lord and his Christ, and 
he will rule over them. And when 
unto him every knee shall bow and 
every tongue confess that he is 
Christ, to the glory of God, the 
Father. That time has not yet 
come, but there are certain princi- 
ples associated therewith that have 
come, namely, the introduction of 
that kingdom, and the introduction 
of that kingdom could only be made 
by. that being who is the king and 
ruler, and the head of that govern- 
ment, first communicating his ideas, 
his principles, his laws, his govern- 
ment to the people ; otherwise we 
should not kaow what his laws were. 
The world has been governed in 
every kind of form ; we have had 
every species of government. Some- 
times we have had patriarchal gov- 
ernment, at other times we have had 
unlimited monarchies or what may 
be called despotic govomments, 
where the power to rule is in the 
hands of one individual. At other 
times we have had limited monarch- 
ies such as exist in many places now 
upon the face of the earth. In other 
placesandatdifferentages wehavehad 
what is termed republican govern- 
ments where the voice of the people 
has ruled and governed and managed 
the people's affairs. There have 
been various forms independent of 
these, which I do not wish to enter 
into at present, but nowhere have 
we had the government of €rod. It 
is true that for a limited period 
among a very small people in eariy 
days, among the Jews, (hey pr(>fo8s- 



Bi 



JOtnUfAL'Or 1U800Q1I8KL 



ed to be under the gaidance of God 
for a certain length of time. But 
they were continually departing 
therefrom. They had their priest- 
hood, they had their prophets, they 
had their Urim and Thummim, and 
through these mediums they sought 
the wisdom and guidance of God in 
regard to many of the prominent 
enterprises in which they engaged. 
The law given by Moses was one of 
those things that emanated from 
God. Moses received from the Lord 
the ten commandments written upon 
tables of stone — written by the finger 
of God — ^and this people, who were 
then quite a small people compara- 
tively speaking, received the com- 
mands of God and professed, at 
least, to be governed thereby. The 
Lord gave them commands and they 
were proclaimed to the people, and 
when proclaimed it was usual for all 
the people to say "Amen. These 
laws we will observe and do." But 
this was among a very limited people. 
(Very fcoon they desired to have a 
kiug to rule over them, but the idea 
that was then considered proper 
Among them was : " The Lord is our 
king, the Lord is our judge, the 
'Lord is our lawgiver, and he ishall 
rutie over us." We see the feeling 
itfrhich they, had and entertained -as a 
.ptople, but they departed from it 
and they sought a king and were 
led asti^ay from correct principles- 
led into folly, darkness, ignorance — 
until they were scattered abroad to 
the four winds of heaven.' 

There has been a time spoken, of 
by all the holy prophets since ihe 
world was, when God should govern 
his. people, and the Jews, when ii&e 
Messiah came, expected that be T^as 
come to reign over Israel as a 
tem^al king, that he was going to 
take possession of his kingdotn to 
overthrow all other, kiis^^doms, 
emfixeSf dyiutsties aiid powers, /akid 



declare himsdf thie Idrig of Israel and 
of the world. But they did not 
understand many things associated 
therewith, and they do not now.; 
and the world does not, and we our- 
selves understand, very Httle about 
them. But the Scriptures say that 
'^ till heaven and earth pass, one jot 
or one tittle shall in no wise. pass 
from the law till all be fulfilled." 
Now tJden, if the kingdoms of this 
world have never yet become the 
kingdoms of our God and his 
Christ they will be, and it is neces- 
sary that there should be a 
commencement to this as well as to 
every other thing. This is a matter 
that has been looked forward to by 
prophets and apostles, patriarchs, 
and men of God in the various 
dispensations of time. It is (M^i 
'* the dispensation of the fullness of 
times" wh^i God will gather together 
all things in one whether they be 
things on the earth or things in 
the heavens. Now thete must of 
necessity be. a startinjg point for this, 
and the question is how is it to origi- 
nate 1 Who among the nations of 
the earth, knew or eomprehendM 
anything about the government df 
Godi None did; nowhere; noldoi^, 
no emperor, no potentate,, no piresi- 
dent, no power li^n the face of tliie 
earth; no divine or theologian, v^ 
scientist, no philosopher, understood 
anything about this matter. It da 
indeed the kingdom of God, and 
being hi^kii^dom, it must oiiginilio 
with Mmvitmu^t receive from hSan 
its teachings, ita'fonns, its principles,, 
its laii^S, its on^nanoes, its institu- 
tions, and ever]^'thing conneatied 
therswith must emanate from God, 
and as:it .waa necessary that it shoiUd 
ori^altefwith ^im,' it is also nedes- 
sary thatit'-fiiuEHild be. upheld and 
: sustained by hin^ and that those /who 
' should opeKKie in this kingdom 
sb&tild i^igovtoied by^ the jsanko 



COMPREHENSIVENXSa OF TEE LORDS PRAYBB, BTC 



spirit that you heard Brother Pratt I 
talk about this morning. It became 
necessary also tliat a medium should 
be introduced whereby man might I 
be placed ia commuiiioii mth God ; 
that they might comprehend him, j 
that they migat undcrstaod his laws 
■when he gave them, that they miglit I 
be acquainted with the principles ; 
which he had to develop ; lor there 
is one great principle that men very 
little understand, viz : "The things of 
God knowelh no man, but the Spirit 
of God," and if they don't kiiow 
only through his wisdom it would be 
in vain for God to communicate with 
a people who could not comprehend 
him, who had not the capacity to 
receive these principles which he 
had te communicate. The same 
principle holds good everywhere 
among all the principles with which 
we are acquainted or know anything 
about. You cannot teach a child 
algebra, nor irithmetic, until it has 
gone through a certain system of 
training. You cannot t«ach the 
arts and sciences without necessary 
preparation fer their introduction, 
nor can you teach people in the 
government of God without they are 
placed in communication with him, 
and hence comes the Church of G^d, 
and what ia meant by thati A 
school, if you please, wherein men 
are tangbt certain principles, 
wherran we can receive a certain 
spirit through obedience to cert^n 
ordinances. And we, having received 
this spirit through those ordinances, 
were then prep^ed to take the initi- 
at^ily steps in relatit)n to other mat- 
ters, and hence as a commencement 
the Lord appeared unto Joseph 
Smith, both the Father and the Son,', 
the Fatber pointing to the Son said, 
"this iamy beloved Son in whom I| 
aiif' 'wefl pleased, ' hear ye him." 
Here, thin, was a communication 
from the heavens made known unto 
No. 6. 



man on the earth, and he at that . 
time came into possesion of a fact , 
that no man knew in the world but 
he, and tbaC is that God lived, for 
he had seen him, and that his Son 
Jesus Christ lived, for he also had . 
seen him. What next! Now says , . 
the Father, "This is my beloved 
Son, hear him." The manner, the 
mode, the why, and the wherefore, .; 
he designed to introduce through 
him were not explained ; but he, 
the Son of God, the Savior of the 
world, the Redeemer of man, he was 
the one pointed out to be the guide, 
the director, the instructor, and the 
leader in the development of the 
great principles of that kingdom and 
that government which he then com- 
menced to institute. What next 1 , 
Tlie next step was that men having 
held the priesthood, that had 
ministered in time and eternity aud 
that held the keys of the priesthood 
came and conferred tliem upon 
Joseph Smith. John the Baptist 
conferred upon him the Aaronio 
priesthood, aud Peter, James and 
John the Melchisedec 'priesthood: .' 
aud then others who had operated 
in the various ages of the world, euch as 
Moses and Enoch,aappeared and.con- 
ferred upon him the authority that, 
they held pertaining to thesematt^is. 
Whyt Because it was "thedispeiiSB- '' 
tion of the fullness of times," not of 
one time only but of all the times ; , 
it was the initiatory step for the ' 
development of all the Dri"ciples that , , 
ever existed, or would exist pertiun- '_ 
ing to this world, or the world to 
come. WhatnMtl He was com- . 
man" 

to b; 'j 

had 
and 

in> j 



66 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



Christ, who repented of their sins, 
that they were to be baptized for 
a i*emi8sion of their sins and to have 
hands laid upon them for the recep- 
tion of the Holy Ghost. What then] 
There was a priesthood organized, a 
First Presidency, the Twelve; a High 
Council, Patriarchs, quorums of High 
Priests, Seventies, Elders, Bishops, 
Priests, Teachers and Deacons, to 
carry on the purposes of God, and to 
instruct men in the laws pertaining 
to his kingdom, even the laws of 
life. Men were sent forth in the 
name of God to preach the principles 
of truth which had been revealed, 
and a great many believed and were 
baptized and were initiated into the 
Church of God, and we may say into 
the initiatory or preparatory steps 
necessary for the establishment of 
the kingdom of God. They then 
received the Spirit of God, which is 
" no cunningly devised fable ;" it did 
not originate with man, it was the 
sift of God to man. The Elders, for 
instance, were told to go forth and 
call upon men to repent, to be 
baptized, and they were to lay their 
hands upon them that they should 
receive the Holy Ghost. And what 
should that do ) Take of the things 
of God and shew them unto the 
people. This is one of the greatest 
developments of power that ever 
existed among men. You Elders, 
hundreds of you that are now listen- 
ing to me, have gone forth to preach 
this Gospel. Ton have called upon 
men to believe in the Lord Jesus 
Christ and they have done it. You 
have called upon men to repent, 
and they have done it You 
have told them to be baptized and 
y6u have baptized them. You have 
then laid your hands upon their 
heads and said " receive ye the Holy 
Gjipst," and they have received it 
And you know, and this congregation 
knows, that what I say is true, and 



by that principle, through obedience 
to the law of God that he had intro- 
duced in his Gospel. What fori 
To prepare men to be placed in com- 
munion with God. To prepare them 
to be members not only of his Church 
but of his Kingdom, and to prepare 
them to take part in this great event 
that had to transpire in the last days. 
Now these are facts that you eannot 
controvert, nor anybody else. You 
know that these things are true. 
What does it prove] That it is 
God's kingdom, he has introduced 
it, and as it was said in former times, 
" Ye are my witnesses," as well as 
the Holy Ghost that beareth witness 
of us. Now, then, could you have 
received this without the interposi- 
tion of the Almighty and his Son 
Jesus Christ 1 No you could not 
Could you have received it .without 
the keys of the priesthood being 
restored and which some men affect 
to despise so much ? No you could 
not. Hence we trace out the order 
of these institutions as they dwelt 
in the mind of God, and as they 
were made manifest among men. 
Have those elders that perform these 
ceremonies their weaknesses 1 Yes, 
just as much as Elder Pratt and I 
have our weaknesses. Have they 
their infirmities 1 Yes. Was it a 
rich treasure that was conferred upon 
us] Yes, but we received it 
in earthen vessels, surrounded with 
the infirmities of man. But God 
knew these infirmities ; he was 
acquainted with all our weaknesses. 
Nevertheless, he conferred upon us 
this priesthood, this power, and this 
authority, and when we went forth 
in his name and by his authority, 
God sanctioned our acts. Is Ood 
with us while these things take 
place ? I think so. What do yoa 
think about iti It is a principle 
that is clear, and plain and demon- 
strable. 



COMPREHENSIVENESS OP THE LORD'S PRAYER, ETC. 



67 



Well, what next 1 Then we began 
to gather together. And why do 
we gather together 'I Some of us 
can hardly tell why, and I am often 
surprised when I read letters impor- 
tuning us in regard to this matter. 
I get Tetters time and again praying 
that some means may be devised 
that the Saints may be delivered 
and gathered to Zion, and be enabled 
to live with the Saints of God. 
What is the reason of it ] Why do 
they want to gather 1 Because there 
was a spirit and influence associated 
with this Church and this kingdom 
which led and propelled them to this 
action, and you who hear me have 
felt this influence ; you felt a desire 
to gather, and you came, and those 
that are not here now feel as strong 
a desii^e to gather as you did. And 
when you have gathered, many of 
you think it is a curious kind of Zion, 
don't you 1 It is ; for while the net 
gathers in the good, it brings in all 
kinds as well, good and bad. 
We have some very good fish, and 
some very bad ones, and some a kind 
of half and halfl and some feel like 
saying " Good Lord and good devil," 
as they do not know into whose hands 
they may fall. Nevertheless, this is 
the order, and the wheat and tares, 
I suppose, have got to grow together 
until the harvest comes, and that is 
not quite here yet, and hence we are 
jostling one against another, and 
some of us hardly know whether it 
is us or somebody else. Difficulties 
and trials beset us, and we are 
amazed. But we are here, and we 
are here according to the command 
of God and according to the opera- 
tion of the Spirit of God that rests 
upon us, and did rest upon us, and 
l»i us here, and I was going to say, 
we are here because we could not 
help it. 

Well, what next ] Who are we, 
and what are we when we are here] 



Some good Latter-day Saints, and 
some, as I have said, half and half, 
some one thing and some another. 
But how do we stand in the position 
we occupy as a Church and as other 
people stand ] We believe in God. 
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. 
We be .ieve in virtue, purity, holiness, 
integrity, honesty. We believe in 
good citizens and good Saints. We 
believe in keeping the command- 
ments of God, aud carrying out his 
purposes. We believe in spreading 
the Gospel to the ends of the earth. 
We believe in gathering together the 
honest in heart. We believe in build- 
ing temples and administering therein 
for the living and for the dead, and 
we believe in acting as saviors upon 
Mount Zion according to the word 
of the Lord. All these things and 
a great many more are leading prin- 
ciples which we as Saints profess to 
believe in. Well, we have a right 
to do that, although there are others 
who do not believe in those thmgs. 
They have just as much right not to 
believe in our principles as we have 
to believe in them. And we some- 
times feel angry and out of sorts 
with others because they do not 
believe as we do. Well, we do not 
believe as they do. Some of them 
think we are very foolish, very enthu- 
siastic, very superstitious, and very 
wicked. Those that know us do not 
think we are so bad after all. We 
have our weaknesses and imper- 
fections, yet we are quite as good as 
the balance of them, and a little 
better, and we ought to be, for we 
make great pretensions. But they 
think these things about us. They 
think we are deluded. Nov the 
only difference between us and them 
is that we know they are supersti- 
tious and corrupt, and that they 
violate those laws they profess to 
believe in and those principles which 
they profess to be governed and 



6a 



jgUB^Jf 4.1, ,0h\ DISOpURSJj^. 



glided by. But we have no light v 
tOj expect everybody to submit to 
oiif doctrines, our vie\ys, our princi- 
ples, it is a matter of free-will with 
tljera, and as I said they have just as 
mi^cli right to believe as they think 
proper and to worship as they choose 
as we have. These are some princi- 
ples that are really correct. Well, 
they tiy to prevent us from worship- 
ping as we believe t Now that is — 
what shall I call it 1 a doctrine of 
devils, it does not come from God, 
he is more free and generous in his 
fefelings than that. He does not 
control the consciences of men nor 
force them to obey his behests ; it is 
a fatter of free grace, it is a matter 
of tVee will. Well, though they 
think they have a right to interfere 
with us, we do not think we have a 
right to interfere with them. And 
I do not think we do. There is a 
number of institutions here in this 
citj^, Catholics, Episcopalians, Pres- 
byterians, Methodists, Baptists, etc., 
and I do not know how msLny more, 
quite a pile of them. If they think 
they are right I am quite willing 
they should think so. I do not wish 
to' interfere with them. Who inter- 
feres with their building meeting 
houses 1 Who interferes with their 
worship 1 If there is anything of 
this sort I do not know of it ; I hope 
I ^liall not know of it ; I hope never 
to hear of such things. I believe 
that all men have the privilege of 
worshipping God according to the 
dictates of their own consciences and 
then I think we possess just the same 
rifftit ; and when they depart from 
this principle and wish to curtail us 
of our rights they are violating the 
spirit and genius of the institutions 
of* our common country, and aho 
those of the kingdojga of heaven with 
which we are associated. They are 
also violating those good feelings 
that ought to exist between man and 



man, brother a«d brother, and they 
are interfering with things that in no 
wise belong to them. 

Now then, here is the ground that 
we stand on in a religious capacity. . 
If I can find a way and you can find , 
a way, whereby we can approach our 
God and have him for our guide, . 
our teacher and instructor, if they 
cannot do it, it is none of tlieir busi- 
ness what we do. They have 
nothing to do with it, it is none of 
their business in any way whatever, , 
and any interference is an inter- 
terence with the legitimate rights 
and inherent principles that belong 
to humanity. 

"Well, so far as they stand on their 
platform and we on ours, they may 
be Methodists, they may be Presby- 
terians ; all right. Tliey may get up 
their revival meetings and think 
they are doing a great deal of good;, 
all right, and so far as they teach ' 
good moral principles, and do not 
depart from truth, all right. So far 
as they obey the laws of the land, 
all right; we have nothing to do 
with them 1 Have you ] Has the 
dty 1 Hiis the Territory 1 No. 

Well then, we will go a little 
further^ By being here we become 
an integral part of the government 
of the United States, as a Territory. 
Very well. Here is another thing 
we are talkng about. Is that the 
goviernment of God 1 Not quite, but 
it is the government we are living ' 
under, and if they treat us right and 
extend to us any kindness we appre- 
ciate that. If they treat us wrong, 
we think it is not according to cor- 
rect principles. We think as Ameri- 
can citizens we ought to receive all the 
privileges equally wuth other people; 
we think we ought to be allowed to . 
worship God according to the 
dictates of our consciences and be pror 
tected in our worship. ^ So far, then, 
as I have said bejfoie,. we are on a . 



COMPREHENSIVENESS 6T tHB LORD*» PRAYER, FTC. 



69 



'level. Now thi^n, we arfe on the same 

<^ound in tegar(VliO'pbliticl3tl'circihti* 

^nces. ^Vr^*kr0iiM^T%WVi&m 

•^tates/^ttit'the'TJillWd Stitteskiiot 

'%6 kin^om 6f ^od. It 'dbes "rfot 

wofess to he uii^der hk tule, 

'moT his government, 'nor his 

' authority. Yet we are expected as 

*<nti2ens of the United States to keep 

' "the laws of the United States, and 

'^ hence we are, as' I 'said befo4*e, an 

' integral part of the government, 

Yery well, what is expected of us 1 

■ That we observe its laws, that we 

' eonform to its usages, that we . are 

governed by good and wholesome 

Principles, that we maintain the 
iws in their integrity and that we 
sustain the government, and we 
ought to do it. But'there is aprin,- 

• ciple here that I wish to speak about. 
God dictates in a great measure the 
affairs of the nations of the earth, 
their kingdoms and governments 

* and rulers and those that hold 
dominion. He sets up one and pulls 
down another, according to his will. 
That is an old doctrine, but it is true 
to-day. Have we governors 1 have 
we a president of the United States'? 
have we men in authority? Yes. 
Is it right to traduce thpir charac- 

' tors'? No, it is not. Is it right for 
us to oppose them 1 No, it is not. 
Is it right for them to traduce usi 
No, it is not. Is it right for them 
to oppress us in any way ? No, it is 

•not. We ought to pray for these 
people, for those that are in autho- 
rity, that they may be lead in the 
right way, that they may be pre- 
served from evil, thiit they may 
adniinister the government in right- 
eousness, and that they may pursue 
a course that will receive the appro- 
bation of heaven. Well, what eise] 
Then we ought to pray for oarselves 
that when any plans or contrivances 
or opposition to the law of God, to 
the Church and kingdom of God, or 



to his people, are ibtrodnced, *iyAd 
Vheu^Ver we are sought' to hi tAihe 
the Victims' bftyninTiy land 'ri{ii!«88- 
Son, «Wit' tfie ftaM6f Qrfdtoa^ 
bVer'fis atld over them to |)ar2tl^o 
their acts and protect us, for as i^is 
written, the wrath of man ^liiW 
praise him, the remainder of wr^h 
^all he restrain. 

'Now, we in Utah here are und^r 
the government of the United States ; 
we are a very little portion of it. 
It is true we have our legislators, 
we have our probate judges, we haye 
our marshals, constables, etc., we 
have our city charters etc., etc., aind 
certain immunities and privileges of 
this kind. Well, shall we %e 
governed by them 1 Yes. Shall we 
obey the law 1 Yes. Shall I as a 
citizen of this city obey the laws of 
this city? Yes. Shall I cattfee 
trouble or speak evil of the mayor 
or city council or any of the admin- 
istrators of the law ? No, I ought 
to pray for them that they may leHil 
aright and administer justice 
equitably and act for the welfare and 
interest of the community wherein 
they live and for whom they operate. 
Am I a citizen of the United States? 
Yes, and I ought to feel the feame 
toward them. 

Well, now, there are some import- 
ant points come in here. As I have 
said, we are a very small portion of 
this government. Now, do we wifeh 
to overthrow the government. I 
think not. I think we do not. Do 
we wish to cause them trouble ? Not 
that I know of. I know we are 
accused of that ; but it is not true. 
These statements are not correct. 
Our religion, however, differs frdm 
the religion of many others, and as I 
have said before, while they look for 
liberty to worship God as they pleaje, 
they do not want us to possess the 
same privileges. There is nothihg 
new in this ; but because of tkia 



70 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSE& 



have they a right to interfere lYith 
the isstitutions of which we have 
become a part 1 Do not our legisla- 
tore, our gevernors, and all men here 
awearfealtynot only to the Territory, 
but to the United States, and say 
they will support the Constitution, 
laws, and institutions thereof] 
They do. This is the position we 
occu])y. But we are placed in a 

Peculiar position in some things, 
'hey — I was going to say in their 
wisdom, but I will say in their folly, 
and 1 hope they will excuse me, for 
I look upon it in that way — have 
passed certain laws trying to inter- 
fere with us in our operations in 
religious affairs. Well, we cannot 
help that. I told you a while ago — 
you believe me, this congregation 
believes me with very few exceptions 
— that God had introduced and 
instituted this Church, that he was 
the founder of it, that it emanated 
from him, the doctrines, ordinances, 
principles, government, priesthood, 
authority, and all that pertain to it 
emanated from him ; we had nothing 
to do with it. Joseph Smith had 
nothing to dp with it, only as a 
passive worker in the hands of the 
Lord. Brigham Young had nothing 
to do with it only acting in tliat 
capacity. I have nothing to do with 
it, nor my brethren of the Twelve. 
God revealed it. I cannot help it. 
Can you? Can any onel Now, 
then, this people have been 
received into this Church in the 
way that I have spoken of, and have 
actually received communication 
from God by the laying on of hands, 
received the Holy Ghost, and have 
a hope within them blooming with 
immortality and eternal lives, and 
are in possession of a hope that 
enters within the veil whither Christ 
has gone. Can you uproot that from 
the minds of this people ? No, no 
power on earth, no power in heaven. 



nor all the combined nations of the 
earth can do it ; God planted it there, 
man cannot take it away, and men 
are foolish in trying to attempt it 
Very well. But they do try to inter- 
fere with us under a pretence that 
we are very wicked here. Well, it 
is enough to make a person laugb 
sometimes, when we think about 
these things, and enough to make ns 
sorry when we know of the hypo- 
crisy, lasciviousness, crime, murder, 
bloodshed that prevail in this natioa 
and other nations, to hear them talk 
to us about our morality. We know 
when they talk in that way that 
they are hypocrites. We know that 
they know better when they tell 
these things to the world. 

Now, then, the United States pas» 
a law that a man shall not marry 
wives according to the order that 
God has revealed. Now it is a fact 
that we should like to obey th^ laws 
of the United States, if we could do 
it. If they could only tell us how 
to get out of the dilemma they have 
placed us in we should be very much 
obliged to them, we really should 
like to get out of it. But we have 
had no hand in either of these things. 
We had no hand in making the 
commandment that God has given to 
his people, and we have had no hand 
in making the law of the United 
States pertaining to these things. 
We feel very desirous of keeping the 
laws of the land if they would only 
let us ; but we should pray our 
Father in heaven that he might 
preserve them from making laws 
that we cannot conscientiously keep 
without violating our consciences 
and transgressing the law of God. 
And if they do we shall be under the 
necessity of leaving ihem in the 
hands of God for him to deal with 
them as he may deem proper, and 
we will put our trust in the living 
God and risk the consequences let 



GOMPRKHENSIVENESS OF THE LOBD'S PRAYBR, ETC. 



71 



them be what they may. 

Now, these fu-e our feelings on 
this point. Is it well to tell these 
feelings') Yes. We want to be 
frank and open and candid and free 
from hypocrisy of every kind, and 
feel as though we were the children 
of our Father in heaven without 
euilt, without treachery, without 
fraud of any kind. Let us be sincere 
worshippers of God and believers in 
him and in his law. But do we pro- 
pose to govern, interfere with, or rebel 
against the Government of the 
United States? No, we do not. 
That is not in the programme. 
Has God given us a law? Yes. 
All right we will get along and do 
the best we can, but we won't for- 
sake our God. All who are willing to 
abide by the laws of God signify it 
by raising the right hand (unani- 
mous vote). Now try and keep 
them. But will we fight against 
the United States ? No, we will not. 
Well, how will these things be 
brought about 1 Don't you expect 
that the kingdoms of this world will 
become the kingdoms of our God 



and his Christ ? Yes^ I do, as much 
as I believe 1 am speaking to you 
and you are hearing me, and I not 
only believe it but know it. Well, 
now, how will that be brought about 
if you do not pitch in 1 We need 
not do this. There is plenty that 
will pitch in ; there will be plenty of 
trouble by and by without our inter- 
ference, when men begin to tear 
away one plank after another out of 
the platform of constitutional liberty ; 
there will not be much to tie to. 
And how will you get along with 
them ) We will leave them to get 
along with themselves. And how 
will that be? We are told the 
wicked shall slay the wicked, but 
says the Lord : *' It is my business 
to take care of the Saints." God 
will stand by Israel, and Zion shall 
triumph and this work will go on 
until the kingdom is established and 
and all nations bow to its standard. 
May God bless you, may he lead 
you in the path of light, is my 
prs^yer in the name of Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 



72 



JOURNAL' OF DISCOURSES. 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER GEO. Q. CANNON. 
Delivbred in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, October 5th, 187^. 

(Reported hy Geo, F. Gibbs.) 



spiritual gifts attainable — unc.hangeablbness ok god — universa- 
lity OF THE right TO REVELATION — THE SAINTS GLORIFY THE GOD 
OF REVELATION — NECESSITY OF SELl -GOVERNMENT. 



Li standing up to address this 
congregation there is one feeling 
that rests upon me, and that is, my 
inability to instruct so numerous a 
people unless God shall pour out 
his Holy Spirit upon me and upon 
you. 

We have come together to-day 
accordingto our custom to be instruc- 
ted in those duties that devolve 
upon u^ aiid also in the principles 
of our holy religion. These meetings 
are to me exceedingly precious; they 
are seasons of great rejoicing. And 
having the opporunity as we have 
to-day of assembling in peace and 
quietness without any to molest or 
make afraid, we should feel thank- 
ful, to that (lod who has brought us 
here; who has preserved and pro- 
tected us since we came. 

The instructions which we have 
had to-day since we have assembled 
together, if fully obeyed by us and 
carried out in our lives, will make us 
a people who shall be worthy the 
name we bear, the name of Latter- 
day Saints. And as was remarked 
this morning the great object in 
teaching the people and impressing 
upon them the counsels that are 
given from time to time, is to have 
us carry out practically m our lives 
the principles of that religion which 
we have espoused. This is the great 



labor devolving upon us. It is not 
to be theoretical alone ; it is not to 
dwell with great interest and with 
great eloquence upon those heavenly 
doctrines that God has revealed and 
to become enraptured over them 
while listening to them, but it is to 
make a practical application of them 
to our thoughts, to our words and 
to all the actions of our lives. And 
in this way alone can we acceptably 
serve the Lord our God, whose name 
we bear and whose people we pro- 
fess to be. There is no reason why 
this people called Latter-day Saints 
should not have all the powers and 
all the gifts and all the graces that 
ever characterized the Church of 
God upon the earth at any time; 
there is no reason, I say, why they 
ishould not have all these if they 
themselves are true to the principles 
which have been revealed, and seek 
to cany them out. Who is there 
of this congregation, who is there 
that belongs to this Church in any 
part of this Territory, who does not 
have a desire in his or her heart for 
those blessings and those gifts and 
qualifications that were promised to 
the ancient Saints and which have 
been renewed in our day to those 
who embrace the Gospel with all 
their hearts 1 The Lord is the same 
yesterday, to-day and forever. This 



SPIRITUAL GIFTS ATTAINABLE, ETC. 



73 



^is the corner-stone, itipay.be s^id^of 
., our faith. It is upon |;his founda- 
.tipn we have built ; that ^he is an 
., unchangeable God ; tb^tl^e does not 
manifest his mind and his will in 
plainnessand simplicity to one people, 
and hide the same from a succeed- 
ing people who are equally faithful. 
But the great truth has been im- 
pressed upon us ; the great truth 
that runs through all the writings of 
every man of God concerning whom 
we have any account from the begin- 
. ning down to the last revelation that 
has been given, that God is no 
respecter of persons, that he is to-day 
: as he was yesterday and as he ever 
was, and that he will continue to be 
the same being as long as time 
endures or eternity continues. And 
we have been impressed with this as 
I have said, by every man who has 
\ spoken concerning God and spoken 
by authority from him. I say, there- 
fore, there is no reason why the 
Latter-day Saints to-day should not 
. obtain and enjoy the gifts and graces 
; and blessings of the Ciospel the same 
as they were enjoyed in ancient days 
by tlie ancient servants and people 
. of God. 

Has God groWn old 1 .Have God's 

.; ears become heavy 1 Has his sight 

become dim ? Has his arm become 

shortened? Has age affected him 

] or the lapse of time detracted from 

; his powers 1 Has it had the same 

, effect upon him as upon mortal 

. beings who are subject to decay and 

. death 1 Is this the kind, of being we 

J worship 1 is this the kind of being 

k concerning whom, the prophets and 

apostles have spoken and written 1 

. Certaiidy not. \Ve worship him, we 

^ j fkdore him, we lift iip our eyes to him, 

we rely upon him as the Supreme 

: JBeing, the Creator of the heavens 

<■ and the earth, the foundeir of the 

, .universe, the builder of the planet 

which we inhabit and which we 



tread, the being over whom cen- 
turies have passed without makipg 
any change to his injury ; eternity 
has rolled i^i^d continues to roll and 
will continue to roll without in the 
least affecting his power or his 
capacity for good, his eye does not 
grow dim by the lapse ©f ages ; his 
ear does not become heavy by the 
passage of time, neither does his ann 
become short or feeble. He is the 
God whom we worship. When we 
call upon him, though he may be 
remote from us, dwelling in his holy 
habitation in the midst of the eter- 
nities, the very thoughts of our 
hearts, the very conceptions of our 
minds, the feeble whisperings of our 
voices, they ascend to him, ^e 
carried to him, his ear comprehends 
them ; his bowels of compassion are 
moved towaids us his children, his 
all-piercing eye penetrates eternity, 
and the glance of his vision reaches 
us. 

There is not a single thought of 
our hearts which he does not compre- 
hend ; there is nothing connected 
with us he does not know. We may 
hide ourselves in the bowels of the 
earth, but we cannot conceal our- 
selves from his all-piercing sight. 
We may climb the highest moun.- 
tains or descend into the deepest 
valleys or we may go to the utter- 
most parts 0. the earth, . but where- 
ever we may go he is there, nis 
power is there, his vision is theie to 
hear and to comprehend the desires 
and the wishes of our hearts. 

This being the case, why sliould 
we not approach him in faith ? Wjjat 
reason is there that men arid women 
living in tlais the 19tli century 
should not approach him with the 
confidence of those who lived in ihe 
15th century of the world, or the 
20th or the 4,00Uth year of the 
world'] If he could hear their cries, 
if he could answer their prayers and 



74 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



if he could grant to them the 
desires of their hearts ; if he could 
open the heavens to them and reveal 
his mind and will unto them when 
they called upon him in ftdth, believ- 
ing that he would do so, is there 
any reason why we should not have 
that same faith and exercise it and 
obtain those same blessings and 
receive them at his hands ? Who is 
there that can stand up and say 
there are reasons why this should 
be the case^ If we admit, as we 
must do, that he is this being which 
I have attempted so feebly to 
describe ; if we admit that he is the 
God of gods, the Lord of lords, the 
creator of all, the father of all, the 
sustainer of all ; if we believe this, 
why cannot we believe that if he 
bestowed his blessings upon other 

fenerations and other people, he will 
o so to us, also that he will hear 
our prayers, that he will grant unto 
us the desires of our hearts ? 

Now, my brethren and sisters, I 
look upon these conferences and 
these assemblages as having for 
their object the enforcement of 
these great truths upon us and upon 
our attention ; the object of them as 
I understand them, is to make us 
Latter-day Saints not in name alone 
but in word and in deed ; to be men 
and women of God ; to place us in 
communion with God ; to receive 
communication from him; to have 
our false tradition, our improper 
ideas, our unbelief, our hardness of 
heart, and those feelings that 
surround us, that grow up with us, 
to have them removed from us. Is 
there any reason why this should 
not be the case ? No reason except 
that which may be found in our- 
selves. There is no reason outside 
of this. God is willing, he has made 
promises, and he has fulfilled his 
promises so far as we have placed 
ourselves in circumstances to receive 



them. When we have complied 
with the conditions he has never 
from the beginning up to the 
present time failed in his part, he is 
incapable of failing. If there b» 
failure it is due to us, the fault is 
our own, we are the guilty ones. 
Let me ask of you, when did yoa 
ever, any one of you, humble your- 
selves before God, when did you in 
secret call upon him in the name of 
Jesus and ask him for his Holy 
Spirit and the blessings thereof, and 
fail to receive an answer to your 
prayers 1 If there are any Latter- 
day Saints in this condition then 
there is something wrong with them. 
God has made promi&es unto us that 
if we will do certain things, if 
we will obey certain command- 
ments and ordinances, he will bes- 
tow his blessing and he will answer 
the prayers of those who take this 
course. But how many are there of 
us who go on from day to day and 
from week to week and from month 
to month careless upon these points, 
failing to live so as to receive the 
blessings that he has promised, until 
it would seem when they bow down 
to call upon him that their prayers 
scarcely ascend higher than the tops^ 
of their heads. 

As I have said, God in ancient 
days was a God of revelation ; God 
in our day is a God of revelation, 
and he communicates his mind and 
his will unto those who seek after it,. 
not to the President of the Church 
alone ; not to the apostles of the 
Church alone; not to the high 
priests or seventies or any of the 
officers or all of them alone, but he 
communicates his mind and his will 
to all who seek after him in humility 
and meekness and lowliness of heart, 
obeying his commandments. To the 
Latter-day Saints alone 1 No, not 
even to them alone for there is no 
human being that is bom of woman. 



SPIRITUAL GIFTS ATTAINABLE, ETC. 



71^ 



there is no son or daughter of Adam 
that has ever lived upon the face of 
the earth who has npt the right and 
who has not obtained at some time 
or other in his or her life, revelations 
from God, but who may not have 
understood what those revelations 
were. The Latter-day Saints are 
not so cramped in their feelings as 
to imagine that they are the only 
and peculiar people above all others 
who have, in this sense received 
revelation. They believe themselves 
to be the people of God and the 
only people who have obeyed the 
commandments of God ; but they do 
not think that, of all the children of 
God, they are the only recipients of 
his blessings. 

God has revealed himself at 
various times and in various ways to 
many people. The heathen have 
had communication from him. All 
the light that exists ; all the truths 
that are taught and all the correct 
principles and knowledge that have 
been communicated and existed 
among the children of men, have 
come from G od ; he is the author of all. 
Socrates, Plato, Confucius, the 
heathen philosophers who knew 
nothing about Jesus Christ and the 
plan of salvation, received important 
truths from hini, and so did many 
other people to a greater or less 
extent, according to their abilites in 
improving upon the knowledge 
communicated to them. But the 
difficulty has been concerning these 
matters that mankind have not recog- 
nized God in all this. A man has 
a dream. It is most wonderfully 
fulfilled. He has a presentiment; 
his presentiment is fulfilled, and he 
relates it to his friends as a most 
remarkable thing. A man has a 
truth communicated to him after 
study and research. He communi- 
cates it to his friends as a wonderful 
4iscovery. Does he acknowledge 



I God in it 1 Sometimes ; but in 
I many instances he does not acknow- 
ledge God ; but, on the contrary, he 
thinks it is the product of his own 
thought, of his own mind. Tf it be 
a dream or some remarkable mani- 
festation that partakes of the super- 
natural, instead of giving God the 
glory and praising (?od for having 
made the communication, some other 
principle is glorified or some other- 
thing is talked about, the remark- 
able character of it is dwelt upoa 
without the person thinking that 
God has anything to do with it. 

Well, there is, as 1 have said, no- 
human being but that has, at some 
time or other, had communication 
from the Almighty Father. Some 
have recognized God and have given 
the glory to him for it ; others have 
hot done so. The remarkable dis- 
coveries that are being made in the 
world of science ; in fact, all the 
remarkable discoveries that have 
been made from time to time are 
produced by the operations of an 
unseeti influence upon the mind of 
the children of men. For instance, 
it has frequently happened in astro- 
nomy and other branches of science 
that when an important discovery 
has been made two or three men 
about the same time widely 
separated from each other have 
received the communication ; and 
disputes have arisen as to which 
of them was entitled to the credit. 
This was the case as to the applica- 
tion of steam and the principles of 
telegraphy and also many discoveries 
in astronomy and other sciences^ 
Disputes have arisen in various 
nations upon these points ; whereas 
the truth is that God is the Author; 
it is God that moved upon the minds 
of those individuals. It was God 
that inspired them to do as they 
did ; it was he who led on from step 
to step until they acliieved the 



^ ♦-, 



re 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



results which have made them 
famous, and sometimes quite unex- 
pectedly to themselves. 

.What is this which has led these 
famous men in the path of dis- 
covery ] The Latter-diay Saints call 
it the spirit of revelation ; the spirit 
of revelation resting down upon the 
children of men. Some men possess 
it to a greater extent than others. 
Some have the gift in one direction 
and they are capable of receiving 
communication from God in a direc- 
tion that others are not, their minds 
are better prepared to receive reve- 
lation upon a given subject, than are 
the minds of others. Some will 
receive great moral truths, and 
these men differ in their organisms ; 
but the light they receive all comes 
from our heavenly Father; it is he 
who gives the inspiration. And so 
man has progressed from one degree 
.of knowledge to another, from the 
rude canoe of the Indian, with which 
he navigates the stream, to those 
mighty steam ships whose keels 
plough every sea and circumnavigate 
the globe. 

Now, in. what respect do the 
Latter-day Saints differ from the 
rest of mankind in relation to these 
matters 1 In this : We acknowledge 
God as supreme, the fountain of all 
knowledge, the fountain of all power, 
the fountain of all intelligence, the 
fountain of everything that is good. 
Who are men 1 The creatures of his 
workmanship, if you please, his 
descendants, his own children begot- 
ten by him, descended by lineal 
descent from the God we worship. 
The same being whom we worship 
is our God, is our Creator, is our 
Pather. When I worship him I 
worship him as my Father. That 
which I possess, if there be anything 
godlike in it, I attribute it to him, 
as having come from him by lineal 
descent. Every aspiration, every 



noble thought, every pure desire, 
everything that is good and htijy 
and pure, elevating, ennobling ^ki 
godlike comes from our Father, the 
God of the universe, the Father.bf 
all the children of men. In him we 
move, in him we have our being. 
He can extinguish life ; he can create 
life ; he can perpetuate life. There 
is no power that human beings can 
conceive of which he does not possess. 
The light that now shines comes 
from him. The revelation we may 
get, imperfect at times because of 
our fallen condition and because of 
our failure to comprehend the 
nature of it, comes from (lod. The 
Latter-day Saints glorify him for 
it. If there is anything good or 
great or noble, if there is anything 
to be admired it comes from God, 
not man. Man is but the medium, 
but the instrument, is but the con- 
duit through which it flows. God 
is to be worshipped ; God is to be 
adored ; God is to be glorified, and 
he will be. And when we are saved, 
when we are delivered from death, 
hell and the grave, we will glorijfy 
God, not man. Man will receive no 
glory ; it will be the eternal Father, 
through Jesus Christ, who will 
receive it all. 

This is the position occupied by 
the Latter-day Saints. We believe 
in revelation. It may come dim ; 
it may come indistinct, it may come 
sometimes with a degree of vague- 
ness which we do not like. Why 1 
Because of our imperfection ; because 
we are not prepared to receive it as 
it comes in its purity; in its fullness 
from God. He Is not to blame for 
this. It is our duty though to 
contend for tiiore faith, for greater 
power, for cleater i*evelations, for 
better understanding concerning his 
great truths as he communicates 
them to us. That is our duty ; that 
is the object of our lives as Latter- 



SPIRITUAL GIFTS ATTAINABLE, £TC. 



77. 



daj Saints — to live so near unto him 
that nothing can happen to us but 
that we will be prepared for it before- 
hand. And I know many, many 
Latter-day Saints who are in this 
condition, who do live so that there 
is nothing of any importance that 
can occur for which they are not 
prepared, and the mind and will of 
God is made known to them, and 
they walk according to it,' and seek 
earnestly and humbly to have it 
revealed to them ; and in taking any 
important step they seek to know 
the will of God concerning it. Are 
they perfect? Far from it. They 
are mortal, full of weaknesses, and 
nobody is better aware of the char- 
acter of eartiily weaknesses than the 
man or woman who thus* lives. 

It is the duty of all to live in this 
manner, and if the inhabitants of 
the earth could comprehend it as 
they should do they would seek to 
know the mind and will of God con- 
cerning themselves. But what is 
the spirit of the world to-day ] Let 
a preacher in the world deliver a 
fine discourse and who thinks about 
giving God the glory for it ? Who 
thinks of the Holy Ghost under such 
circumstances 1 God is removed far 
from them, he does not exist in their 
thoughts, the preachers who attempt 
to preach Christ and him crucified, 
thep are glorified. Who gives glory 
to. God for Henry Ward Beecher^s 
discourses 1 Who gives glory for 
Dr. Fotheringham*s or Mr. Talmage's 
or any of the popular preachers of 
to-day 1 Do men glorify God for 
Spurgeon's 1 No, he himself is glori- 
fied. Beech er himself is glorified; 
and Fotheringham is glorified. Is 
God glorified? No, He is not 
thought about. Morse discovered 
the. principle of telegraphy. Who 
gave the' glory to God 1 I was in 
the hall of the . House of Kepre- 
sentatives^ when a grand meeting 



was held. What fori To glorify 
Morse, the discoverer of that great 
principle and who practically api)lied 
it and made it useful. Now, I do 
not mean to say that there are none 
who have God in their thoughts. I 
am speaking now of the general 
feeling that prevails, of the general 
course that is taken. Inventions, 
no matter how grand they 
may be, are not attributed to 
the Father of them all, the Creator 
and Fountain of all knowledge. But 
man, whom lie has chosen to be his 
instrument, he has blessed with 
knowledge concerning all these 
things, as the result of his earnest 
study and his untiring efforts to ob- 
tain knowledge. The Being who 
does this is very seldom thought 
about by man. 

Latter-day Saints, is this the 
course for us to take? Shall we 
glorify the creature at the expense 
of the Creator ] As a people, I be- 
lieve we are tolerably free from this. 
But we have to make a degree of 
progress much greater than we have 
in these things. We have got to 
seek after God with an earnestness, 
a fervor and devotion that we at the 
present time cannot comprehend. 
It is our duty as Latter day Saints to 
' seek for knowledge. W ill God bestow 
it upon us if we do not seek for it t 
He may in his condescension at 
times do this. Brother Rich said 
this morning that he believed some 
people were too lazy to think. It 
is a truth plainly expressed. There 
are too many too lazy or too indif- 
ferent — it may be indifference and 
not laziness in every instance, to 
think, to feel after, to seek for and 
receive the blessing of God, although 
they make the profession of being 
Latter-day Saints. 

Now, I do not think a man's re- 
ligion amounts to anything if he 
only makes a profession of it and 



78 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



does not practise it. I would rather 
Iiave an intelligent heathen, if he is 
honest and determined to do the 
best he can, living up to the light he 
hafi, than a Latter day Saint who is 
careless and indiflferent, who does 
not seek to enjoy the spirit of his 
religion. 

I am in hopes that after awhile 
we will begin to realize as we never 
have yet, that there are practical 
"duties resting on us Latter-day 
Saints ; that there is something more 
than being members of the Church 
required of us. How is it with a 
great many 1 Why, every evil 
thought, every wrong speech that 
comes in their hearts, either to think 
or to utter, they entertain and ex- 
press, and then take credit to them- 
selves for not being hypocrites. Is 
not this great folly ? Men and 
women tliink evil thoughts, they 
give place to angry feelings ; and 
they think it a meritorious act, and 

Eride themselves upon their conduct 
ecause tliey give them utterance 
instead of quenching them ! Is not 
this extraordinary 1 Lacerate the 
feehngs of their brethren and sisters 
jnd friends, because they think they 
would be hypocrites if they did not 
utter their evil thoughts, however 
unfounded or repulsive they might 
be ! What right have I to do this 1 
If my heart is wicked does that 
justify me in giving utterances to its 
foul conceptions 1 Certainly not. 
IfADiy heart were such that I could 
not think good thoughts nor enter- 
tain good feelings ; if I were posses- 
sed of anger and could not contain 
myself, than it were better for me to 
sew up my mouth and stop my 
utterance. It is no merit in a man 
or woman because he or she thinks 
an| evil thought or indulges in an 
angry spirit to give utterance to it ; 
and they are not hypocrites because 
they do not do it either. It is not 



hypocrisy to quench the evil thoughts 
that arise in our minds. Our hearts 
are evil in consequence of the fall. 
As the prophet Jeremiah says : "The 
heart is deceitful above all things, 
and desperately wicked : who can 
know it 1" There are a great many 
things that are conceived in our 
hearts that it would be well for us 
to stifle before they received shape. 
What is frequently the result of 
these evil conceptions'? Innocent 
people suffer wrongfully ; injury is 
done; slanders are circulated; while 
those who start them justify them- 
selves, because forsooth they con- 
cerned them. Just as well might 
the counterfeiter, the bogus-maker, 
say that because he makes a bogus 
bill he has the right to circulate it. 
There is not any of the Spirit of God 
connected with such conduct. 

It is my duty and your duty to 
think pure thoughts, to have holy 
desires, to be charitable, to be kind, 
to be long suffering, to be full of 
love, and not any of those evil influ- 
ences. Why, the devil would have 
no power on the earth if it were not 
for some people who allow him to 
use their tabernacles. I have often 
thought of this valley when we first 
came here. There were a few 
Indians ; but who witnessed the 
devil or his power here 1 If there 
were no wicked men nor women here 
how could the devil manifest his 
power here 1 Who heard tattling 1 « 
Who heard backbiting 1 Who heard 
of litigation ] Who heard of fight- 
ing ? Such things were never heard 
of. But no sooner did men come 
and the adversary obtain power over 
them, than all the evils we now wit- 
ness throughout this land and in 
this city, which grieves us so, began 
to manifest themselves. And the 
more there are who wiU yield to the 
influences of the evil one, the more 
there are who will be guided by 



SPIRITUAL GIFTS ATTAINABLE, ETC. 



79 



him, and tlie worse the conditious 
become. There are those who would 
have here gambling houses and 
liquor saloons and houses of ill-fame 
and other deplorable evils which 
Abound in the earth. Why ] 
Because they are willing to yield 
themselves to the devil, I speak it 
plainly, it is the truth. If such 
people who practice these and kin- 
dred evils would not lend themselves 
to the devil he would have no power 
here. Wiiat is our duty 1 It is not 
to lend ourselves in any particular 
to the devil, but it is to obey God ; 
to let the fruits of righteousness be 
manifested in our lives. If we are 
Latter-day Saints, let us live up to 
the profession and be that in truth 
and in deed, and not think that we 
have no labor to perform in the 
controling of our thoughts and our 
evil desires ; neither to allow our- 
selves to imagine that because we 
have become members of the Church 
God will do it all without any efforts 
tm our part. 

ThjBre is a work devolving upon 
every son and daughter of Adam ; 
there is a fight that we have to fight 
against — the evils of our own natures, 
for the heart of man is deceitful and 
desperately wicked. The natural 
man is at emnity with Christ and 
with God ; and unless he seeks to 
conquer his nature by bringing it 
into subjection to the mind of God, 
he is not a son, or she is not a 
daughter of God. This is the labor 
that devolves upon us. This is why 
we meet together at conference ; it 
is to impress upon the people the 
character and the magnitude of this 
work that rests upon each indivi- 
dual man and woman. As I have 
said once before in this Tabernacle, 
we may be heralded through the 
earth as famous ; but unless we con- 
quer ourselves it is in vain that our 
names are known and that our deeds 



resound through the earth. I care 
not how famous a man in this Church 
may be — he may be an apostle, he 
may be a high priest, a bishop, or 
hold any other important oflSce or 
position ; but unless that man con- 
quers himself and carries on the 
work within himself of self-improve- 
ment, and brings himself and all 
there is within him in subjection 
to the mind and will of God, I tell 
you his fame is as empty as the 
sound of a trumpet when it passes 
away. We hear it ; it strikes the 
ear, but it presently dies away, and 
that is the end of it. So it is with 
fame of this character. Therefore I 
say to you that that which is 
applicable to the individual 
is applicable to us as a 
people. Our fame may go forth 
for great works and mighty things 
that we have done ; but unless we 
ourselves bring forth the fruits of 
righteousness in our lives ; unless 
we conquer our evil passions, our 
evil habits, our evil inclinations, our 
evil desires, and bring them under 
complete subjection to the Spirit of 
God our labor is comparatively pro- 
fitless, for that is the object of 
preaching the Gospel to us. 

I would like to have the power to 
impress upon your minds the import- 
ance of this great truth. There is 
nothing so important to me as an 
individual, as my own salvation. 
This is the most important thing to 
me that pan be — that I myself shall 
be saved ; that I myself shall so 
live as to be counted worthy by the 
Almighty to receive an exaltation in 
his kingdom. This is of the utmost 
importance to me individually. As 
Brother Eich said, if all the rest did 
certain things, and he did not, he 
could not receive tlie blessing, the 
reward of such works ; or if he did, 
^nd all the others did not, they 
could not have the blessing. That 



80 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



is a great truth ; and it should be 
impressed upon us. 

. You may think it a grand thing 
for men to go on missions. I re- 
member the time, and probably the 
feeling still exists — I hope it does — 
when it was deemed a great honor 
for a man to go upon a mission, 
especially a foreign mission. It is 
right that we should value these 
labors. It is a great thing to preside 
as a bishop or president of a stake, 
or to act in the calling of an apostle. 
All these things are great in and of 
themselves, and they reflect honor 
upon those who bear these offices, 
and especially when they seek to 
magnify them. But after all, the 
great labor, the most honorable labor 
that any person can perform, is to 
do that which I have attempted to 
describe to you — to improve our- 
selves ; to be Latter-day Saints in 
deed and in truth, to live our holy 
religion. When we arise in the 
morning, to examine ourselves, to 



see if there is anything that is in . 
opposition to the mind and will of 
God within ourselves ; and through 
the day to pursue the same course ' 
of self-examination. And at night 
before we retire to rest, to bow our- ' 
selves before our Father and God in 
secret, and pour* out our souls in 
prayer before him, supplicating him 
to show unto us wherein we have 
done wrong during the day, wherein ' 
we have come short in thought, 
word and deed ; and then repent of 
the same before we lie down to rest, 
and to obtain from him a forgiveness 
of our sins. And. then, going on 
day after day, week after week, and 
year after year until the end shall 
come. If we do this, the promises 
of God are sure, and they cannot 
fail. 

That it may be our happy lot to 
attain to an exaltation with our 
Father, is my prayer, in the name 
of Jesus. Amen. 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER C. W. PENROSE, 

DELIVERED IN THE SALT LAKE ASSEMBLY HALL, SUNDAY AFTERNOON, 

APRIL 25th, 1880. 



(Reported by John Irvine.) '. 

INStTFTICIENCY OF MERE BELIEF IN CHRIST— EXTENT AND APPLICATION * 
OF THE ATONEMENT-^NECESSITY ^¥ DIVINE AUTHORITY TO ENABLE 
MAN TO ADMINISTER THE GOSPEL— JOSEPH SMITH CALLED OF GOD. ' 



The Latter-day Saints aie often 
accused by the people in the Chris- 
tian world of being very much 



deluded. Our religion is counted, a ' 
delusion arid a snare. I was think- ^ 
ing, however, during the meeting* 



INSUFFICIENCY OF MERE BELIEF IN CHRIST, ETC. 



81 



this afternoon about the great num- 
ber ol Christian preachers who to- 
day ai'e standing up in various parts 
of the world informing th6 people 
who listen to them that simple befief 
on the Lord Jesus, who died on 
Calvary, is all that is necessary to 
save them and exalt them in the 
presence of God the Father. And 
it seems to me that if there is one 
delusion more pernicious than 
another it is that very doctrine, 
which seems to be a fundamental 
principle of all the various Christian 
sects. You will find, go where you 
will in the Christian world and lis- 
ten to any of the great preachers 
of the day, that this is the common 
topic of discourse. Jesus Christ is 
preached — which is quite right, I 
am very glad that he is — as the 
Savior of the world. So we testify 
as Latterday Saints. In connection, 
however, with this great truth which 
is proclaimed to the inhabitants of 
the earth by men professing to be 
sent of God, is preached the great 
error that mere belief in the work 
which Jesus Christ wrought out is 
sufficient for the salvation of the 
people. The inhabitants of the 
earth are informed that it is not by 
any works of righteousness which 
they may perform that they can 
gain any favor whatever in the sight 
of God, but it is the lighteouness 
of Christ alone which is acceptable 
to the Father and which they can 
gain the benefit of if they simply 
believe in him. 

When we search the Scriptures 
and read the sayings of Jesus Christ, 
and of his servants whom he sent 
forth to preach the Gospel, we do 
not find any such statement as this. 
We find, it is true, that the apostles 
of the Lord Jesus preached Christ 
and him crucified to the world 
wherever they had an opportunity; 
they directed the attention of the 

No. 6. 



people, Jew and Grentile, wherever 
they went, to Jesus of Nazareth 
who was slain on Calvary as the 
Redeemer of the world, and faith in 
him was declared to be absolutely 
necessary. But we do not find that 
in proclaiming faith in the Lord 
Jesus Christ to that generation they 
informed the people that a mere 
belief in Christ was all that was 
needful ; we find that, in addition to 
teaching the principle of faith in 
God and in his Son Jesus Christ, 
they taught the people it was neces- 
sary to observe certain rules, and 
commandments, to obey certain 
forms and ordinances, to comply 
with certain conditions that they 
might obtain the benefit of the 
shedding of Christ's blood. We find 
by searching the New Testament, 
which contains some of the teach- 
ings of the apostles and some of 
their letters to the churches, that 
the doctrine was held forth by them 
that " the blood of Christ cleanseth* 
us from all sin." We find that this 
applied, as they taught it, not only 
to what is called original sin, but 
also to actual sin. The sin which 
our first parents committed in the 
Garden of Eden is called original 
sin ; and the sins committed indivi- 
dually by the inhabitants of the 
earth, are called actual sin, for ** all 
have sinned and come short of the 
^lory of God." The apostles sent 
torth to preach the Gospel by our 
Savior himself, taught the people 
that through the shedding of 
Christ's blood remission of sin 
might come to all and that mankind 
might be redeemed from sin, original 
and actual. But we , fiiud this 
distinction in their teaching in 
regard to original sin, s^d thjei^ 
teaching in regard^ to individual sin| 
that the blood of Christ redeems 
mankind from the effects of the fall 
and will. eventually bring upall who 

Vol. XXI. 



jouBNix o¥ Discoasaits. 



died in Adam — for "as in Adam all 
die, even so in Christ shall all be 
raade alive,"— but that while people 
had nothing whatever to do with 
. the sin which Adam committed and 
therefore have notliing whatever to 
do with the work of atonement for 
that sin, yet for their own sins there 
is some action required on their part 
that they may obtain redemption 
therefrom, inasmuch as the blood of 
Christ was shed for original sin 
unconditionallj-, but for the remis- 
sion of actual sin conditionally. 

God, when he placed our first 
parents in the Garden of Eden put 
before them a certain tree, the fruit 
of which he said " they should not 
partake of, if they did they should 
surely die." They partook of that 
tree in disobedience to the divine 
commandment, and planted the 
seeds of death in their bodies, and 
that death has passed upon all their 
posterity. " It is appointed unto men 
once to die." This act of our first 

g rents introduced death into the 
)rid. Death came by sin, and 
d,eath has passed upon all the pos- 
terity of Adam and Eve. Jesus 
ctake in the meridian of time as 
^'.tbfi Lamb of God which taketh 
a^ly the sin of the world," to bring 
A^nkind up from the effects of the 
transgression of our first parents. 
Bence he ia called " the Second 
Adam," and we are tpld that as in 
&f(t first Adam all die, even so in 
Christ, the second AdarQ, shall all 
M rai^de alire agun. And he him- 
8(^ proclaimed that the time should 
M>j^ "in the which all tljat are 
m the graves shall hear the vqice 
St ihe' Son of Gpa'and shall conie 
ffl/rthjt^e}'that'haved6negbo^,nnto 
£IIq resturection of life; and they 
fliai have don$ evil unto the resur- 
iljctibn of dan^ati^," pr in, the 
irords of the ii^t^nd translaUbn, 
"tlie^thit have done good in the 



resurrection of the just, and they 
that have done evil in the lesur- 
rection of the uujust." It is through 
the transgression of Adam that we 
have to sufier what is called the 
temporal death. Through that 
transgression our spirits have become 
separated from our bodies ; oiir 
immortal spirits held by these 
mortal tabernacles must be talien 
out, and our bodies must return to 
the ground and crumble into dust ; 
but by the atonement wrought out 
by the Lord Jesus Christ the time 
is to come when all who lived in 
the body shall live in the body 
again. Christ was raised from the 
dead and became " the first fruits 
of them that slept ;"' afterwards they 
that are Christ's at his coming will 
be brought forth. This is the first 
resurrection. " Blessed and holy," 
says the Apostle John in his vision, 
" are they that hath part in the 
first resurrection ;on such the second 
death hath no power, but they shall 
be priests of God and of his Christ, 
and shall reign with him a thousand 
years." After that John saw, that 
" the se^ gave' up the dead which 
were in it ; and death and hell 
delivered up the' dead which were 
in them' and they wei^ judged 
every man according to his vporks." 
The atonement wrought out by 
the Lord Jesus Christ for original 
sin will apt)ly just as fat as the 
effects of the 6in ate felt. As all 
the posterity of Adatti died through 
that ain, even so all the posterity of 
Adam will, be raised up a^^in 
through the atonenieiit.' "But 
I ^wn order " saya 

I ist the .fiWt friiits ; 

I hat ai^ Chriat'a 

I id theii a'lter the 

1 ave i»asBea away, 

I ead.as.Jpliii ^^ 

^ 'orth' ind judgM 

( ig to the deeds 



INSUFFICIENCY OF MERB BELIEF IN CHRIST, ETC. 



83 



done in the flesh. All must give an 
account unto thegreat eternal Father. 
We are responsihle for the acts done 
in the flesh , for like as it was in the 
•case of our flrst parents, good and 
evil, truth and error, are placed 
before us, and every individual is 
left free to choose the good and refuse 
the evil, or to choose the evil, and 
refuse the good, as he pleases. Both 
are set before us and, if we yield to 
either, it will lead us in either 
direction. There is, however, a spirit 
in man, born in him, which comes 
from God, the fountain of light and 
truth. This light is planted in the 
breast of every man and every 
woman who breathes the breath of 
life. It is the true light that lighteth 
every man that cometh into the 
world, and if people would listen to 
the whispering of that still small 
voice, be led by that natural light 
and natural inspiration, they would 
be led up to God. By this natural 
light, by this general inspiration, if 
people would listen to its whisper- 
ings, and be guided thereby, they 
would be led up to the fountain of 
light. " Every good gift," says the 
Apostle James, " and every perfect 
gill is from above, and cometh down 
from the Father of lights in whom 
there is no variableness neither 
shadow of tumitig." But on the 
other hand there must be, as the 
Book of Mormon says, ** an opposi- 
tion in all things,'' and there is a 
spirit of evil, a spirit of darkness, 
which draws downward to death, 
and a spirit of light which leads 
upward to life; the one leads to 
Satan and his works, the other to 
Ood and to righteoujsness. But the 
itihabitants of the earth generally 
have been more prone to listen to 
the inspiration of the spirit of dark- 
ness as did our first parents, than to 
listen to the still small voice of light 
^d life in their souls. 



All people must give an account 
of the deeds done in the body accord- 
ing to the measure of light they 
have received, and the opportunities 
they have had of obtaining that 
light, while they dwelt in the flesh. 
Some people have lived on the earth 
when God has sent his servants 
inspired of him to make plain his 
ways, while others have tabernacled 
in the flesh when no inspired voice 
was heard, when no communication 
was open between the heavens and 
the earth. Anid he who is just, who 
is the embodiment of the eternal 
principles of justice, will deal out to 
all according to their light and 
accftrding to the opportunities they 
have had of obtaining that light, but 
all must be judged, all must appear 
before the judgment seat of Christ 
and give an account for their indivi- 
dual works. 

Now, we will take the case of an 
individual who has broken all the 
laws of God and perhaps all the 
laws of man, and finally has shed 
the blood of a fellow-creature, and 
is condemned by the laws of man 
to die ; he is, in fact, unfit to live^ 
unfit to associate with mortal beings, 
therefore, they must needs thrust 
him out of the world that he may 
mingle with immortal beings. 
Where do they send him tol A 
minister will come and preach to 
him, and tell him that all he has to 
do is to cast his soul on Jesus ; that 
he has just to believe that Christ 
died for him, and the righteousness 
of the pure, immaculate, sinless, 
Christ wul be grafted into that rot* 
ten branch, so that he will have the 
fruits of righteousness and peace. 
That is according to the modem 
Gospel. The man believes this, he 
confesses Christ with his lips and 
acknowledges him with his t6ngue, 
I and straightway is strung up 
I between the heavens and the earth. 



£4 



JOUBNAL OK DISC0XTRSE8. 



and choked to death ; his spirit is 
forced out of his body, and ushered 
into the presence of the eternal 
Father to stand before his spotless 
throne, and is deemed fit to dwell 
in the society of the pure and holy 
ones on high. That is according to 
the modern Gospel, but not accord- 
ing to the ancient Gospel of Jesus 
Christ, the everlasting Gospel which 
says " no murderer hath eternal life 
abiding in him." 

But some one may ask, " Is there 
no efficacy, for actual sin, in the 
atonement wrought out by Jesus 
Christ ? Is there no method by 
which people can obtain a forgive- 
ness of their individual sins T Yes, 
there is a way, and that is the plan 
of the true Gospel, but it does not 
consist in mere belief in the right- 
eousness of another ; mere belief in 
the righteousness somebody else will 
not make us any better ourselves. 
What is to be done then 1 Here the 
Gospel is very plain and simple, 
when pointed out by one who 
un^ierstands it. But "how shall 
they call on him in whom they have 
not believed 1 And how shall they 
believe in him of whom they have 
not heard, and how shall they hear 
without a preacher, and how shall 
they preach except they be sent f 
It is men who are not sent who 
preach the nonsense we hear in the 
world. It is men who are not sent 
who deceive mankind with their 
strong delusions, and then turn 
round and call the Latter-day Saints 
deluded. If they were sent of God 
they would not preach such non- 
sense, they would not deceive man- 
kind and thus become the cause of 
so much sin and evil in the world. 
For while people believe that at the 
last moment, at the last gasp of their 
existence, they may cast their souls 
on Jesus, an^ by believing in his 
virtue escape the penalty of their 



sins, they will continue to sin on,, 
like many of these false teachers 
who revel in sin up to their very 
eyes, and will die in their sins and 
go down into the pit where they 
must wait until they are released, 
in the time and way of the Lord 
The doctrine of belief without works 
is a strong delusion. There is more 
to do, according to the Gospel, than 
merely to believe in the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Belief in the Lord Jesus 
Christ is necessary. That is the 
foundation, it is the root of the 
matter, but it is not all the matter, 
" Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and thou shalt be saved.*' Why! 
Because if you have true faith in 
Christ, if you really believe on him, 
you will believe in his sayings and 
keep his commandments. Hear 
him : " If ye love me, keep my com- 
mandments." " Not every one that 
saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into 
the kingdom of heaven : but he that 
doeth the will of my Father which 
is in heaven." " Therefore, whoso- 
ever heareth these sayings of mine, 
and doeth them, I will liken him 
unto a wise man which built his. 
house upon a rock : And the rain 
descended, and the floods came, and 
the winds blew, and beat upon that 
house I and it fell not ; for it wa» 
founded upon a rock. And every 
one that heareth these sayings of 
mine, and doeth them not, shall be 
likened unto a foolish man which 
built his house upon the sand : And 
the rain descended, and the flooda 
came, and the winds blew, and beat 
upon that house ; and it fell ; and 
great was the fall of it." 

When Jesus Christ sent hi& 
apostles unto all the world after he 
had risen from the dead, he com- 
manded them to '^ teach all nations^ 
baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son and of the 
Holy Ghost. Teaching them to* 



INSUFFiaiENCY OF MERE BELIEF IN CHRIST, ETC. 



85' 



observe all things whatsoever I have 
commanded you." They were to go 
out and preach to all the world, 
baptizing those that believed, and 
then proceed to teach all things 
whatsoever he had commanded 
them. Christ taught his disciples 
many principles while he tarried 
with them in the flesh, and after he 
had risen from the dead he con- 
tinued his instructions from time to 
time. He also told them that when 
he went away the Comforter should 
come to reveal unto them the things 
of the Father and the Son, and to 
guide them unto all truth ; for it is 
only, by receiving truth and living 
it that j)eople can be saved and 
exalted. " Sanctify them through 
thy truth," prayed the Savior, ** thy 
word is truth." The Holy Ghost 
the Comforter, was to come, there- 
fore, to make plain the truth, and 
to reveal things past, present, and to 
come. It is necessary, however, to 
have faith in Christ. Why ] 
Because every blessing that flows 
to the inhabitants of the earth from 
God the eternal Father comes 
through Jesus Christ. We must 
first of all believe in God, then 
believe in Jesus Christ, and if we 
really do believe in God and in Jesus 
Christ we will find out in ourselves 
that we have broken the command 
ments of God and of his Son Jesus 
Christ, and the desire will enter our 
hearts to turn away from sin. Thus 
it is said " whosoever heareth these 
sayings, and doeth them, I will 
liken unto a wise man, which built 
his house upon a rock." It is taught 
by some that repentance is the first 
principle of religion, but if a man 
does not believe in God, will he pray 
unto himl AVhat has a man tD 
tepent of except the breaking of 
the commandments of Godi And 
how shall he feel anything to repent 
of if he does not believe in God 1 



It is necessary therefore to have 
faith first, and then comes repent- 
ance, a determination to forsake evil, 
and this is what the ancient apostles 
taught. 

What next? We find that 
wherever the apostles went, when- 
ever they found a people who be- 
lieved in Jesus and repented of their 
sins they baptized them. By sprink- 
ling a little water in their face ] Or 
by making the sign of the cross 
upon their foreheads'? No. They 
were taken down into the water and 
buried there in the likeness of 
Christ's death and burial and raised 
up in the likeness of his resurrection, 
that henceforth, having " put off the 
old man with his deeds" they might 
walk in newness of life, observe his 
laws and keep his commandments, 
and follow his footsteps, for he "left 
us an example, that we should fol- 
low in his steps." Then the apostles 
laid their hands upon those that 
were baptized, and we read that 
they received the Holy Ghost, the 
Comforter, the spirit of truth, which 
opened up a communication between 
each individual soul and the fountain 
of light and eternal truth, which 
testified that they had been washed 
clean from their sins. How washed ? 
By water? Yes, and no. Water 
does not wash away sin, but if peo- 
ple desire remission of their actual 
sins they must be baptized. Thus 
it must be, ** to fulfil all righteous- 
ness." Even Christ himselt had to 
be baptized to fulfil that command- 
ment, and if he had not obeyed it 
there would have been no manifest- 
ation of the Holy Ghost resting upon 
him in the sign of a dove, and a 
voice from heaven declaring, " This 
is my beloved Son in whom I am 
well pleased.". Christ left us this 
example, and his apostles followed 
in his footsteps, baptizing according 
to the commandment for the remis- 



M 



JOUBNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



sion of sins. John the Baptist also 
taught this same doctrine when he 
went out to preach in Judea, and 
when the people came to him con- 
fessing their sins he baptized 
them in Jordan for the remission of 
sins. " I indeed baptize you," says 
John, " with water ; but one 
mightier than I cometh, the latchet 
of whose shoes I am not worthy to 
loose ; he shall baptize you with the 
Holy Ghost and with fire." 

Baptism for the remission of sins ! 
"Why," says one "I thought the 
blood of Christ redeemed us from 
our sins." And so it does. Water 
itself will not wash away guilt. If 
a person has no faith in Christ, and 
has not repented of his sins, baptism 
will be of no avail. But baptism 
properly administered by one who 
has a right to administer in the 
name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, will 
avail. The person to be baptized 
must go down into the water and 
therein be buried for a remission of 
sins, having repented, and having 
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and 
in his atoning blood, for the blood 
of Christ was shed " for the sins of 
the whole world." But the " whole 
world" will not receive the benefit 
of the atonement unless they comply 
with the conditions laid down, 
namely: faith, repentance, and 
baptism. They who do not receive 
this ordinance cannot enter into the 
presence of the Father, for " except 
a man be born of water and of the 
spirit, lie cannot enter into the king- 
dom of God." So said Jesus. This 
is a little different from the teach- 
ings of modem divines, is it not? 
Yes, but it is according to the teach- 
ings of Christ and his apostles. 

Now, then, in regard to the 
administration of this ordinance. 
Men must have a right to administer 
before they do anything in the name 



of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost I ask who has. 
that right ? There are a great many, 
ministers standing up in the various 
chapels and churches to-day admin- 
istering in the name of this holy 
trinity. You can see men in the 
Christian world stand up before a 
congregation and sprinkle a little 
water upon an unconscious babe, and 
call it baptism, and actually do it in 
the name of the Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost! Who sent themi 
Who told them to do this sprinkling? 
Did God the Father, or the Son, or 
the Holy Ghost 1 No. Did any 
person to whom God has spoken, 
having authority from God to ordain, 
appoint them to that ofiice 1 No. 
Why ! Because for hundreds of 
years communication with the 
eternal world has been shut ofi*, 
inasmuch as the people who profess 
the Christian religion have not even 
believed in the doctrine of present 
communication with God. They 
have been contented with the old 
revelations contained in the book we 
call the Bible, which contains a few 
of the things that God revealed 
hundreds of years ago. They do 
not believe in having communication 
with the heavens. How did they 
get this authority, then] When 
did a man ever get authority from 
God to sprinkle and call it baptism^ 
or to baptize an infant in any form T 
It is not to be found in the Bible. 
" He that believeth and is baptized 
shall be saved," so Christ said. And 
you will find that wherever the 
apostles went, faith was the first 
principle they taught. " If thou 
believest with all thine heart thou 
mayest," said Philip to the eunuch 
who sought to be baptized. Baptism 
without faith and repentance is 
valueless, it is void ; and baptism 
administered by one who has not the 
right to attend to that ordinance in 



INSUFFICIENCY OF MERE BELIEF IN CHRIST, ETC. 



87 



the name of the holy trinity is also 
void. Supposing men were to come 
to us with as groundless claims in 
temporal things as they do in 
spiritual. Supposing a man came 
from Germany to this country and 
professed to be a minister from the 
German court. We would ask to 
see his credentials, and if he had 
been sent as an ambassador for that 
people, he would be able to show his 
authority. Supposing all that he 
had to prove his right to represent 
the German Empire was, he felt 
called in his heart to do so. We 
should consider him a fit subject for 
a lunatic asylum. But there are 
men adnainistering in these sacred 
things (axi ministering in the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost), ordinances 
to which God never appointed them, 
for they say there is no communica- 
tion between them and God, nor 
has there been among the inhab- 
itants of the earth for hundreds and 
hundreds of years. They say the 
canon of scripture is full ; God talks 
no more with .the inhabitants of the 
earth. Where, tlien, do they get 
the right to administer in the name 
of the Lord ] I tell you as sure as 
they do this they wUl be called to 
account and held guilty of taking 
the name of the Lord in vain. How 
did the apostles of the Lord Jesus 
Christ get the authority to baptize ] 
Christ gave it to them. How did 
Christ get the authority? Did he 
assume it himself? No. Jesus 
said, " I come not to do my own 
will, but the will of the Father 
which hath sent me." Tt was his 
Father in heaven who called him to 
be a high priest after the order of 
Melchisedek, and Moses and Elias 
who had previously held that priest- 
hood, administered to him m the 
mount. Thus Christ received that 
holy priesthood, after the order of 



Melchisedek, which embraced all 
the higher powers and compre- 
hended the lesser or Aaronic priest- 
hood (for the greater includes the 
less), and he ordained his apostles to 
that priesthood. ^^As my Father hath 
sent me," said he, " even so send 1 
you." They obtained their ordina- 
tion from Christ, and therefore had 
a right to baptize and also to call 
others as the Holy Ghost directed. 

•* But," says one, "there are many 
people who have felt called in their 
hearts, they have had the spirit of 
the Gospel. Have they not a right, 
seeing they believe in Christ, to 
administer in these ordinances?" 
Certainly not, not a particle of right. 
Let us look at Paul and his history, 
related by himself, Saul, of Tarsus, 
who went to persecute the Saints 
and was smitten to the earth by the 
light from the glorious presence of 
the lately risen Jesus. He was led 
blind into the city to which he carried 
letters intended to be used in 
the persecution and annoyance of 
the Saints. Says Paul : " And one 
Ananias came unto me and said. 
Brother Saul, receive thy sight. 
And the same hour I looked up 
upon him. And he said the God of 
our fathers hath chosen thee, that 
thou shouldst know his will, and see 
that Just One, and shouldst hear 
the voice of his mouth. For thou 
shalt be his witness unto all 
men of what thou hast seen and 
heard. And now why tarriest thou ? 
Arise and be baptized and wash 
away thy sins, calling on the name 
of the Lord." Saul attended to the 
ordinance and was baptized. ** Well, 
now,*' says one, " surely Saul had a 
right to preach the Gospel. He had 
seen Jesus and heard his voice. A 
miracle had been wrought upon him , 
and he was told that he should be a 
witness unto all men." No, he had 
not yet the right. The hands of the 



88 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



servants of theLord had not yet been 
laid upon him. But we read in the 
thirteenth chapter of Acts, that 
while certain prophets and teachers 
were waiting before the Lord, " the 
Holy Ghost said, separate me Barna- 
bas and Saul for the work whereun- 
to I have called them. And when 
they had fasted and prayed and laid 
their hands on them, they sent them 
away." It is written, " No man 
taketh this honor unto himself, but 
he that is called of God as was 
Aaron." Aaron was called by 
Moses, M'ho received divine autho- 
rity by direct communication from 
God. Aaron, it appears, could talk 
better than Moses, but Moses was 
the man called to hold the keys of 
the ministry. If any man desires 
to act in the holy ministry he must 
first be baptized for a remission of 
his sins and receive the gift of 
the Holy Ohost, otherwise he can- 
not be a teacher unto others. And 
even then, although he may have 
had visions, although he may have 
seen the Lord and had the glories of 
heaven opened unto his view, though 
the curtain that hides the future 
may have rolled up before him like 
a scroll, so that he could ^>aze into 
the glories of the eternities, -all 
this would give him no authority 
whatever to administer in the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost. He must be 
called, he must be ordained, he 
must receive the authority of the 
holy priesthood. 

Well, what condition has the 
Christian world been in for centu- 
ries ] Just the same in a great many 
respects as the heathen world. The 
people have been in the depths of 
error. Darkness has covered the 
earth and gross darkness the people. 
" Stay yourselves and wonder," says 
the Prophet Isaiah, speaking of the 
latter times, " cry ye out and cry : I 



they are drunken, but not with 
wine ; they stagger, but not with 
strong drink. For the Lord hath 
poured out upon you the spirit of 
deep sleep, and hath closed your 
eyes : the prophets and your rulers 
the seers hath he covered." And 
the Lord said that in that very time, 
when the people should be in this 
condition, when they should draw 
near unto him with their mouth, 
and honor him with their lips, while 
their hearts were far from him, " I 
will proceed to do a marvelous work 
among the people, even a marvelous 
work and a wonder : for the wisdom 
of the wise men shall perish, and the 
understanding of their prudent men 
shall be hid. * * * ♦ 
And in that day shall the deaf hear 
the words of the book, and the eyes 
of the blind shall see out of obscurity, 
and out of dorkness. The meek 
also shall increase their joy in 
the Lord, and the poor among men 
shall rejoice in the Holy One of 
Israel." Just as the prophet pre- 
dicted so it has been in the age in 
' which we live. Out of darkness has 
! come forth light. God, from his 
I holy dwellinc: place, looked down 
j upon the world and beheld that all 
j had gone astray, that none were 
doing good, no not one. They were 
divided and contentious, jangling 
and quarrelling about creeds. Men 
were crying lo ! here, and lo ! there; 
in fact the blind were leading the 
blind and both were falling into the 
ditch together. The Lord beheld 
this from his holy habitation and 
again restored the truth from the 
eternal world. He sent his holy 
angels and revealed anew the ever- 
lasting Gospel. Truth came out of 
the earth, and righteousness looked 
down from heaven and both joined 
in one, gave joy to the meek, and 
became a power among men in the 
earth. 



INSUFFICIENCY OF MERE BELIEF IN CHRIST, ETC. 



89 



God called Joseph Smith to the 
great work of ushering in the last 
dispensation. He made manifest to 
him the truth, sent angels to him, 
enlightened his mind and gave him 
the gift and power of the Holy 
Ghost, and as Moses and Elias came 
to Christ in the Mount, so also did 
Peter, James and John ordain Jo- 
seph Smith to the Melchiseclek 
priesthood. The authority of that 
priesthood is here now, and the ser- 
vants of God who are called by that 
authority go forth and preach the 
Gospel to every creature, for a 
witness unto all nations, declaring 
that the end is near, and that the 
second advent of the Lord is close 
at hand. People are called upon 
everywhere to repent of their sins ; 
to be baptized for the remission of 
sins, and to receive the gift of the 
Holy Ghost by the laying on ot 
hands, and whenever people have 
received the Gospel and obeyed its 
ordinances his blessings have come 
to them. The Holy Ghost, the 
Comforter, which speaks direct to 
their souls, has borne witness that 
their sins are remitted, that they are 
raised to a newness of life, and that 
if faithful unto the end they will be 
received back into the presence of the 
Father, to dwell in his society and 
glory. This is a privilege offered to 
all the inhabitants of the earth who 
will believe in this Gospel of the 
latter-days. Yet it is no new thing. 
It is the old Gospel restored. Not 
a doctiine, not a principle, not a 
precept therein, but what m:iy be 
found in the old Scriptures. And 
this is what people call delusion ! 
The Gospel came to us in the various 
nations of the earth, some belonging 
to the various religious sects, and 
some belonging to no sect whatever, 
and when we received and obeyed it 
a power took hold of us superior to 



anything we have ever experienced 
before, and witnessed to us in an 
unmistakeable manner the truth of 
this work. It is not a phantom. 
It is not something imaginary, but 
it is a solemn fact, as certain as the 
fact of our existence. No one can 
reason us out of it, or force us out 
of it. Whyl Because it is stamped 
upon our spiritual nature, it is a 
part of our veiy being. God Al- 
mighty has revealed this truth to 
our souls, and we know it as we 
know we live. That is why we are 
here. 

Now, our business is to live this 
religion, to learn further of the ways 
of God, and to do his will in all 
things. The matters I have been 
speaking of are only the A B C of 
the Gospel. We must learu " line 
upon line and precept upon precept," 
and continue to grow and increase 
in a knowledge of the truth, living 
by ** ei'eri/ word that proceodeth out 
of the iriouth of God." Now I 
would afek whether this is the case 1 
Having been redeemed, or having 
had our individual transgressions 
remitted, are we walking in the 
straight and narrow way 'i Are we 
learning of God ] Are we seeking 
to understand more distinctly and 
clearly the things that pertain to 
our salvation 1 Are we performing 
the task allotted to us ] For we are 
living in an important day. The 
day of the second coming of the 
Savior is nigh at hand, and when he 
comes shall we be found, as in the 
parable, among the wise or among 
the foolish virgins 1 How is it with 
us this afternoon 1 Have we oil in 
our lamps to guide us on our path 1 
There is no need for us to do any- 
thing in the dark. We should be 
the children of the light. We are 
accused of following our leaders in 
'* blind obedience.*' There is no 



90 



JOUSNAL OF DJSOOUBSSS. 



such thing in the Gospel. We have 
in our midst those who give us the 
word of the Lord in a church capa- 
city, " for the perfecting of the 
Saints, for the work of the ministry 
and for the edifying of the body of 
Christ," but it is our privilege to 
have the same light. " The mani- 
festations of the spirit are given to 
every one to profit withal." The 
Holy Ghost is conferred upon each 
individual and it is our privilege to 
see our way. When the true Saints 
hear the word 6f life, there is an 
echo within their hearts and a spirit 
which testifies to its truthfulness. 
When the word comes through our 
inspired leaders it proceeds from the 
spirit of light which guides us unto 
ail truth. It is the privilege of 
every Saint to have this light for 
themselves, the light of God, the 
light of truth, " the light that is in 
all things and through all things 
and round about all things, and is 
the law by which all things are gov- 
erned." It is our privilege to be in 
possession of that faith that we may 
ask and receive, that we may seek and 
find, that we may knock and have 
the door opened unto us. Well, are 
we doing this ] If so, then we re- 
joice in our religion. The world 
compared therewith is as nothing ; 
all things are as dross compared 
with the excellency of the knov/- 
ledge of Christ. If we are living 
our religion it is everything with us 
*' Seek ye first the kingdom of God 
and his righteousness, and all these 
things shall be added unto you." 
Earthly things perish with the using 
and when we pass away we must 
leave them behind ^ but we will carry 
with us the Gospel, and every one 
of its truths we have made our own. 
We will carry with us the holy 
priesthood and its gifts and powers, 
if we have been faithful, and will 
be permitted to mingle with the 



spirits of just men made perfect, 
and rejoice in the hope of a glorious 
resurrection. 

Now let us strive te walk in this 
path that we may gain this great 
glory. Let us attend to the duties 
we are required to perform. There 
is nothing in the G<>spel that is non- 
essential. Every principle that has 
been revealed unto us is necessary 
for the salvation of man, for I tell 
you before we are fit to dwell in the 
presence of God and enjoy the ful- 
ness of his glory we must become 
like him. Latter-day Saints, the 
ordinances of the Gospel will not 
save you, they are only aids to sal- 
vation. What, then, will save us ? 
A knowledge of truth and the prac- 
tice thereof^ nothing else. We must 
learn the ways of God. We must 
walk in his paths. We must be 
Saints in very deed, and walk in the 
footsteps of our Lord and Savior 
Jesus Christ, and then, by-and-by, 
where he is we will be also. If we 
turn our backs upon the truth we 
will go down to death ; we will be 
beaten with many stripes, we must 
suffer the consequence of our guilt, 
and after we have gone through the 
depths of sufl'ering and sorrow iu 
the due time of the Lord we may 
get some kind of a salvation and 
glory, but where God and Christ 
are we cannot come, worlds without 
end. 

I would say to my friends who 
are here this afternoon, that I know 
this work is true. God Almighty 
has made it known to me. I bear 
this testimony to you, and I am 
willing to meet it before the great 
judgment seat. God has spoken, 
from the heavens in this our day. 
He has restored the Gospel of Christ 
and the authority to preach it. It 
will go forth to everjf nation, kin- 
dred, tongue and people. The wise 
and the prudent will not receive it, 



EFFECTS OF THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, ETC. 



91 



but " the poor among men shall re- 
joice in the Holy One of Israel." This 
work will go on to this end and pur- 
pose. Zion will be built up, Jerusa- 
lem will be redeemed, and the time 
will come when Jesus, our Redeemer 
shall descend in power and great 
glory to reign upon the earth. I 
bear my testimony that this is the 
work of God, that he requires our 
whole heart, and that we should 
love our neighbors as ourselves. Let 
us put away our follies and our 
errors. Let us not drink into the 
spirit of the world. Let us not pat- 



tern after the wickedness that is- 
creeping into our midst. Come out 
from among them and be ye separate, 
and touch not the unclean thing t 
Be ye clean that bear the vessels of 
the Lord. It is only by the practice 
of righteousness and personal purity, 
that we will be made fit to dwell in 
the presence of the Lord. A doc- 
trine contrary to this is the worst 
kind of delusion. 

May God help us to live the life 
of a Saint and finally save us in his 
kingdom, is my prayer, in the name^ 
of Jesus Christ. Amen. 



DISCOURSE BY PRESIDED JOHN TAYLOR, 

Delivered at Ephraim, Sanpete County, on Sunday Morning^ 

April 13th, 1879. 



(Bepon'ted by Geo. F. Gibbs.) 



effects of THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL— OFJECT OF THE GATHER- 
ING — MANIFESTATIONS OF THE ANCIENTS TO JOSEPH SMITH — THE 
GOSPEL TO DEPARTED SPIRITS — DUTIES OF THE SAINTS TO EACH 
OTHER — THE KIND OF MEN WANTED TO GO ON MISSIONS. 



I am pleased to have the opportu- 
nity of meeting with the brethren 
and sisters of this place, and of look- 
ing at your faces ; and I would like 
to hear more of the brethren speak 
to you, but I know you want me to 



talk awhile ; and as I have to leave 
this afternoon I will occupy the time 
now, and we will leave some of the 
brethren to preach to you then. I 
desire your faith and prayers, for 
we are all dependent upon the Lord ; 



^2 



JOURNAL OJ'' 1)I.SU0UKSES. 



none of us can do or say anything 
that is good or useful or beneficial to 
.society unless we are under the aid, 
guidance and control of the Lord. 
A man cannot speak aright unless 
he speaks under the inspiration of 
the Almighty ; and then the people 
cannot hear aright, nor understand 
aright unless they have a portion of 
the same Spirit. And hence there 
was something peculiar in the ex- 
j)ression made by Jesus upon this 
subject. He understood this princi- 
ple very well, and in speaking on it, 
says, "My sheep hear my voice, and 
know me, and follow me ; but a 
stranger they will not follow for 
they know not the voice of a stran- 
ger." An4 hence when the elders 
were sent out to preach the Gospel 
at first, they were told to go forth 
and God would go with them, and 
his Spirit would accompany them 
and his angels should go before 
them. The Lord had his sheep 
scattered all over the face of the 
earth ; and those sheep, Avhen they 
heard the sound of the Gospel, 
understood it ; there was something 
that bore testimony to their hearts, 
which they could not well describe, 
and that something directed you, 
my brethren and sisters, to those 
who brought the everlasting Gospel ; 
and when you heard it you said, 
" That is true." And people might 
say what they pleased, still you 
believed and felt that it was true. 
You experienced this feeling, but 
you could hardly account for it. 
This was the Spirit that Jesus 
alluded to when he said, " If I be 
lifted up from the earth, I will draw 
all men unto me." He has his own 
way of accomplishing that object, 
and it takes time, a great deal of 
time to *do that. But he was not 
going to drive them nor force them, 
nor in any way to coerce them ; but 
he would present to their minds 



such beautiful principles, such lovely 
sentiments and develop such glorious 
things among them, that they could 
not but see and appreciate them, nor 
could they find them anywhere else. 
And then when those principles 
were confirmed by the influence of 
the holy priesthood through the 
revelations of God to the people, it 
produced the effect upon them that 
we have seen. And hence you have 
gathered here, left your homes in 
the old world — the major part of 
you from Scandinavia. I was one of 
those brethren that started out in 
an early day with this message of 
glad tidings ; and Brother Erastus 
Snow found his way to you folks, 
while I went to others in a different 
part of the world, and still others of 
the brethren hunted up other sheep 
in other places. What was the 
result of our preaching ] We see it 
here to-day ;. the result is that you 
have been brought to a knowledge 
of the truth, and through obedience 
to the ordinances of the Lord, you 
have received the Holy Spirit of 
God, which has led you into the 
truth, so that you, as did the 
ancient Saints before you, sit in 
heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You 
no longer experience the kind of 
uncertainty you used to be afilicted 
with, but you have a certainty, an 
abiding reality. You do not care to 
die ; that is a matter of very little 
importance. Jesus said to a woman 
on a certain occasion, w^hom he had 
asked to give him water to drink, 
" Tf thou knewest the gift of God, 
and who it is that sayeth to thee : 
Give me to drink ; thou wouldst 
have asked of him, and he would 
have given thee living water." We 
have drunk of that stream which 
makes glad the city of our God. 
And we want to realize and appreci- 
ate the position we occupy before 
God, and the great blessings and 



EFFECTS OF THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, ETC. 



9a 



privileges that are within our reach. 
We have jnst commenced, as it were, 
in the great work. We have receiv- 
ed a great many precious principles, 
and have seen and experienced a 
great many things. But how was 
it ] Simply through a glass, darkly ; 
and we yet, in many instances, see 
them through a glass, darkly — at 
least very many of them ; and some- 
times we can scarcely perceive the 
difference between ourselves and the 
rest of mankind, or between the 
religion we have embraced and that 
which other people have. If we 
could only reflect upon it, there is as 
much difference as there is between 
Ught and darknessi But we do not 
always comprehend these things, and 
hence we labor under difficulties per- 
taining to this matter ; because we 
do not see, we do not comprehend 
the position and relationship that 
subsists between us and our God. 
God is our Father ; we are his chil- 
dren. He has brought us into his 
covenant, and it is our privilege to 
go on from wisdom to wisdom, from 
intelligence to intelligence, from 
understanding of one principle to 
that of another, to go forward and 
progress in the development of truth 
until we can comprehend God. For 
we are his children, we are his sons 
and daughters, and he is our Father. 
He has organized this Church in 
order that we may be educated in 
the principles of life, th&t we may 
comprehend those principles that 
exist in the bosom of God, that we 
may be able te teach our children 
correct' principles, in order that we 
may be placed in a position whereby 
we can be assimilated into the like- 
ness of our heavenly Father, and 
have a communication opened be- 
tween angels and us, that we may 
feel that we are of the family of God 
and of the household of faith, and 
that we can operate with them; and 



that while part of his family who 
have lived upon the earth and who 
live again in another state of exist- 
ence behind the vail, are operating 
with him and with the angels of God 
and with the whole of the Holy 
Priesthood in developing his pur- 
poses in the heavens, that we may 
be prepared to operate with him on 
the earth in carrying out his pur- 
poses here ; that his people may be 
preserved from the powers of dark- 
ness, that the light, intelligence and 
revelations of God may be upon us, 
that we may comprehend our true 
position to him, to each other, to 
his Church and kingdom, and to the 
living and the dead ; that we may 
realize the position we occupy in 
relation to all the various duties and 
the responsibilities of life. And 
then after realizing them, magnify 
our callings, unite ourselves together 
as the heart of one man under the 
influences of the Spirit of eternal 
truth as the family of God upon the 
earth, and purge out everything 
from us that is evil, corrupt, low 
and degrading, and elevate our 
minds and feelings to a higher stan- 
dard of intelligence, morality and 
obedience to his laws, and thus pre- 
pare ourselves to carry out the 
things of God in relation to the 
earth whereon we dwell, and each 
of us take a part In bringing to pass 
his purposes here upon the earth, 
not by any intelligence we may have ; 
but by the wisdom and intelligence 
that God shall impart from time to 
time, until we shall progress in every 
principle that is calculated to elevate 
and ennoble mankind, until Anally 
we shall see as we are seen and know 
as we are known. 

We are now gathered together to 
Zion. For what? To build up Zion, 
and to accomplish the purposes pf 
the Lord pertaining to the human 
faniiily upon the earth. And being 



^4 



JOURNAL OF DISCOUKSES. 



gathered together we are organized 
with apostles and prophets, with 
presidents and their counselors, with 
bishops and their counselors, with 
elders, priests, teachers and deacons. 
We are organized according to the 
order of Grod, and these very princi- 
ples that look small to us emanate 
from God. We have seventies and 
high priests, and all these men hold 
certain positions which it is expected 
of them that they will fulfill and 
magnify, here in the flesh, in the 
interests of truth and righteousness; 
in the interests of the kingdom of 
God and in the establishment of 
correct principles among the Saints 
of the Most High. We are here to 
co-operate with God in the salvation 
of the living, in the redemption of 
the dead, in the blessings of our 
ancestors, in the pouring out bles- 
sings upon our children ; we are 
here for the purpose of redeeming 
and regenerating the earth on which 
we live, and God has placed his 
authority and his counsels here upon 
the earth for that purpose, that men 
may learn to do the will of God on 
the earth as it is done in heaven. 
This is the object of our existence ; 
and it is for us to comprehend the 
position. 

For instance, Joseph Smith in the 
first place Was set apart by the Al- 
mighty according to the Counsels of 
the gods in the eternal worlds, to 
introduce the principles of life among 
the people, of which the Gospel is 
thie grand power and influence, and 
through which salvation can extend 
id all peoples, all nations, all kin- 
dreds, all tongues and all worlds. It 
is the principle that brings life and 
immortality to light, and places us 
ih communicatiou with God. God 
affected him for that purpose, and 
M fulfilled his mission and lived 
honorably and died honorably. I 
know of what I speak for I was very 



weS acqnamted with him and was 
with him a great deal during lot 
life, and was with him when he died. 
The principles which he had, placed 
him in communication with the 
Lord, and not only with the Lord, 
but with the ancient apostles and 
prophets ; such men, for instance, 
as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, 
Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Jesus and 
the Father, and the apostles that 
lived on this continent as well as 
those who lived on the Asiastic con- 
tinent. He seemed to be as familiar 
with these people as we are with one 
another. Why? Because he had 
to introduce a dispensation which 
was called the dispensation of the 
fulness of times, and it was known 
as such by the ancient servants of 
God. What is meant by the dispen- 
sation of the fulness of times ? It is 
a dispensation in which all other 
dispensations are merged or concen- 
trated. It embraces and embodies 
all the other dispensations that have 
existed upon the earth wherein God 
communicated himself to the human 
family. Did they have the Aaronic 
priesthood in former times 1 Yes. 
So have we. Did they have the 
Mdchisedek priesthood in former 
times! Yes. So have we. Did they 
have a gathering dispensation in 
former times, when Moses led 
the children of Israel out of Egpy 1 1 
Yes. So have we, just as it wa»5 
predicted by the prophet Jeremiah : 
** I will take you one of a city and 
two of a family, and I will bring you 
to Zion." And what will you do 
with them when you get them there 1 
" And I will give you pastors accord- 
ing to mine heart, w^hich shall feed 
you with knowledge and understand- 
ing." We have that dispensation. 
Moses, when he appeared to Joseph 
Smith, committed to him "the keys 
of the dispensation of the gathering of 
Israel from the four quarters of the 



EFFECTS OF THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, ETC. 



95 



«arth and the restitution of the ten 
tribes." Read it in the Doctrine 
and Covenants : it is there plainly 
written. Why are you here to day, 
from Scandinavia and other parts of 
the world? Because God has, 
among other dispensations, restored 
the dispensation of the gathering. 

In relation to other matters. Was 
there a time to transpire that Elijah 
should come to " turn the hearts of 
the fathers to the children, and the 
hearts of the children to their 
fathers f That Elias has come, and 
has introduced . that dispensation ; 
and in that are associated the very 
things you . are engaged in and 
which we havQ come to attend to, 
namely the laj^lng of the foundation 
stone of the Temple. Now, I will 
ask, whoever thought of building 
Temples until God revealed iti 
Did youl If you did, I wish you 
would tell us of it. And did you 
know how to build themi No. 
And did you know how to admini 
«ter in them after they were built 1 
No, you did not. We are indebted 
to the Lord for these things. And 
when Elijah the prophet appeared 
to Joseph Smith he committed to 
him the keys of this dispensation ; 
ahd hence we* are at wore building 
Temples ; but some of us hardly 
know why. We go at it the satne 
as we follow plowing, sowing, plant- 
ing, reaping and §uch kinds of pur- 
suits. There are other things behin d 
that. There are ordinances associated 
behind these things that go back 
into eternity; and forwai^d unto 
eternity ; that are the otfspring 
of God, that are intended for the 
weUbre, the happitiess and exaltation 
of mankind ; for those who are living 
attd those tliat are dead and for 
those that will live hereafter, per- 
tannng both to ourprogenitors ahd 
6viT posterity. And tnat is pne* of 
those keys that have been ttim^d. 



Do you think that the elders who 
brought the Gospel to you in far off 
lands could have gathered you here 
if they were not the bearers of the 
Gospel of tfte Lord Jesus Christ, and 
if this had not been a gathering 
dispensation 1 I think not. As I 
have said, the elders went to diifer- 
ent parts of the earth, for we have 
preached a great deal. I, myself, 
have traveled hundreds of thousands 
of miles preaching the Gospel ; and 
without purse or scrip, trusting in 
the Lord. Did he ever forsake me ] 
Never, no never. I always was 
provided for, for which I feel to 
praise God my heavenly Father. I 
was engaged in his work and he told 
me that he would sustain me in it ; 
he has been ttue to his trust, and if 
I have not been true to mine I hope 
he will forgive me and help me to 
do better. But the Lord has been 
true and faithful, and I have never 
needed anything to eat or drink or 
wear, and was never prevented for 
want of means of traveling where I 
pleased. 

Well, to return. After you! 
received the Gospel and the spirit of 
the same, the great desire of your 
hearts was to go to Zion. And in 
order to accomplish this j6vl put 
away your little savings and you 
began to contrive how to dispose of 
your little properties, and many ot 
yoii were almost ready to sell your-* 
selves to get to Zion. You could 
not tell why you had such feelings, 
but you did have them, and you 
could not get rid of them until you 
were brought here. You woiild not 
have come here had it not beeU for 
thiit, would youl I have no idea 
that you would. When you were 
told to build Temples, what made 
you build them 1 Because you had 
feceiveil the Gospel in your hearts, 
associated with wnich was the mis-* 
sion of Elijah which wa^ to turn the 



96 



JOURNAL OF OISC0UBSE8. 



hearts of the children to the fathers, 
and the hearts of the fathers to the 
children. I wish I could tell it to 
you as I understand some of these, 
things, and I wish you could under- 
stand those principles. Suffice it 
to say that Satan has tried from the 
beginning of the world to overturn 
the works of God, and in some in- 
stances he has apparently succeeded 
admirably. He was the cause at one 
time of all the people of the earth 
being destroyed except a little seed 
which was saved to propagate the 
human species. Probably the devil 
would laugh pretty heartily over 
that, thinking that he had accom- 
plished his purposes. However that 
was not the end. It is true that 
the judgments of God overtook 
them ; it is true they were destroyed 
by a flood in the flesh, and were 
shut up in prison in the spirit ; but 
it is also true that the same Savior 
who is our Savior, when he was put 
to death in the flesh, was quickened 
by the spirit, and that he visited 
those spirits in prison, opening up 
the door of salvation to them that 
they might be redeemed and come 
forth and accomplish certain pur- 
poses which God had designed ; and 
hence .we find the Savior operating 
among all that body of people that 
the devil thought were destroyed, 
but through this visitation were 
placed within the reach of deliverance. 
But has Satan prevailed to a great 
extent ? He has. Has darkness 
spread itself over the earth 1 Yes- 
Have people wandered away from 
God and forsaken him and his 
laws? They have. But then the 
Lord will be merciful towards them, 
they not having received the light 
that we have, hence he feels towards 
them as a father feels towards his 
children, being desirous to promote 
their happiness as far as it lays in 
his power ; and if he could not save 



them while in the flesh, he undei- 
stands certain eternal laws and prin- 
ciples whereby they may hereafter 
be redeemed. The Judge of all the 
earth will do right. And while the 
priesthood behind the vail are oper- 
ating and preaching to the spirits 
that are in prison that have been 
there from the different ages, he calls 
upon us to build temples that we 
may administer for the bodies of 
these people that have died without 
the Gospel, that they may be judged 
according to men in the flesh and 
live after God in the spirit. At the 
commencement of the dispensations 
he sends out his elders generally to 
all the world to preach the Gospel 
to every creature. In this dispensa- 
tion he not only does this ; but as 
we live in a gathering dispensation, 
he also gathers in the people, and 
when they learn a little of his law, 
there are many ordained to the 
priesthood and sent out as messen- 
gers, and we keep sending them out to 
preach the Gospel and to gather in the 
elect; and we send them to their 
own people to tell them what God 
has done and is doing. And they 
keep coming atid going. And whom 
do we send 1 If we send to England 
we send Englishmen, or men who 
can speak the English langnage ; if 
to Scandinavia, we send Scandinavi- 
ans : we send generally their own 
people, accompanied with men of 
experience, after the Gospel has been, 
introduced to them. Why] That 
they may go and teach their owii 
people the way of life and salvation. 
What then 1 They come back again 
and build Temples. And what then? 
They and their people from the vari- 
ous nations of the earth go into these 
Temples and administer for their 
fathers, and grandfathers, theii: 
uncles and aunts, their friends and 
relatives, and thus reach back, back 
into distant times to redeem and 



KFFSCrra OF THE PRKA.C!Hma OF THIi OOSPBL, ETC. 



# 



save others. And who are these 
men 1 Just such as the ancient pro- 
phets talked about. They are 
saviors upon Mount Zion, are they 
not, saving and redeeming their 
people — and those men who are 
quarrying and hauling the rock, and 
those who are engaged in laying up 
these terrace and temple walls, and 
those who are otherwise engaged in 
making the necessary preparation 
for the building of the temple are all 
laboring in the same direction. The 
Lord requires this work at our hands 
in order to test us, to see whether 
we will carry out his laws or not. 
And when we build our temples and 
he accepts of them, we will then 
enter into them and administer in 
in the name of God; and admini- 
stering in them we become saviors 
upon Mount Zion, as it is written, 
"And saviors shall come up on 
Mount Zion to judge the Mount of 
Esau, and the kingdom shall be the 
Lord's." ' Don't your Bible read so 1 
The one I have does. Who shall 
they save) These men become 
saviors of their own nations ; they 
administer and operate in their 
interests and in the interests of 
their fathers and their friends and 
associates. Hetice this is one thing 
we are engaged in, and is piirt of the 
duipeosation of the fulness of times. 

Then what does one of the pro- 
phets say % " Beheld, I will send 
you Elijah the Prophet before 
the coming of the great and 
dnadful day of the Lord." And 
what shall he do ? " And he shall 
tttm the heart of the fathers to the 
children, and the hearts of the 
children to the fatheirs, lest I come' 
acvd smite the eiarth with a curse." 
And what shall heiowel Saviors 
shall come up on l|^ount Zion ; and 
tli« kingdom shiiill be the Lord's. 
Hi is writtefn, they shall all be taught 
or €k>d, but the klhgdom shall bo' 

No. 7. 



the Lord's not man's. We do not 
want to lean upon man nor put our 
trust in man. While we are' 
obedient to every ordinance of man: 
that is proper and right, and which' 
does not conflict with the law of God,' 
while we are obedient to these 
things we do not want to sell our 
selves to the wicked and ungodly. 
We do not care much about their 
ways or their theories or ideas. 
" The Lord," says one, "shall be our 
judge, the Lord shall be our king, 
the Lord shall be our law-giver and 
he shall rule over us." And we, 
under the inspiration of the 
Almighty, will introduce the laws of 
God that exist in the heavens and 
upon the earth, and form a nucleus 
of truth, of virtue and intelligence, 
of law and order, of principles 
pertaining to morals, to philosophy, 
to politics, to religion and to every- 
thing that is pure, exalting and 
ennobling, and the kingdom will bo 
the Lord's. And we will operate 
together, we will try to frustrate the 
works of darkness and the powers of 
the adversary, to save the living and 
redeem the dead, have our hearts 
turned towards our fathers who 
have lived before us whd^' 
have b^)i igfi^br^t df th^ ptincaj^ldV 
of life fltod sal^atioh whith God Hm 
been pleased to confer upo%t lid^^ 
while the brethten behind' the vaiil' 
are feeling after us who are th»it 
childl^en. The Lord will turn H^ 
hearts of the fathers to the children^ 
and the heftrts of the children to ih^ 
fathers through Elias who wad t6* 
come, which if not accomplished, H^ 
is written, "the earth would' W 
smittiBn with a cun^." 

Hence we are opetvtinj^ intk tiitt^ 
ancient paitriardhsv apostles^ <pK)phlMi< 
and men of Goti wii6 Hvied o^ <lM 
continent of A«ia'imd' Amerksiy atid' 
we wiil gather t6gethet all thiiM»itl' 
oneaceordiilg to the word of Gfd^^ 

Vol XXL 



»8 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



gather bis Israel in one from the 
four quarters of the earth and also 
the ten tribes before we get through ; 
and Judah will hsten to the words 
of life, and the principles of eternal 
truth will go forth and spread and 
grow, " until the kingdoms of this 
world become the kingdoms of our 
God and his Christ ; and to him 
every knee will bow and every 
tongue confess that Christ is God to 
the glory of God the Father." And 
ve are here for that purpose. Do 
you think we are going to fail ] Do 
you think the Lord is going to back 
down? I think not. Men may 
combine against us ignorantly, for 
many of them are very ignorant. 
I do not cherish the least feeling of 
wrath in my heart when I see 
the courts, legislators or Congress 
take steps inimical to us. They do 
not know what they do, hence we 
should feel charitably disposed to 
those who seek our injury. David 
prayed that God would send his 
enemies to hell quickly. Jesus, when 
he was being cinicified, suffering the 
pain of a cruel death, said, ^' Father 
forgive them, for they know not 
what they do." I like that prayer 
much better than the other one. 
Father, -forgive them, for they know 
not what they do. They are thy 
c^hildren, though in the dark. Thou 
hast enlightened our minds, for 
which we feel thankful; but, Lord, 
foi^ve them and lead them, if thou 
<sanat, in the way of life. This is the 
feeling we ought to have. We 
ought to have it one towards another, 
ai^d treat one another with kindness 
iuid not get up hard fadings. Talk- 
ing about people giving away to 
passion and giving expression to 
oacd words; such thii^gs do not 
belong to the Gospel, to no part of 
it ; they come from beneath. This 
hits been pointed out and made very 
plain to us. Every spirit, says one, 



that tends to goiod is of God ; and 
every spirit that tends to evil is of 
the wicked one and comes from 
beneath. I hear a man say some- 
times " I hate such a man." Why I 
do not know of a person that I 
hate in the world. The command 
is to love one another. When Jesus 
was about to leave his disciples, the 
burden of his prayer was, "Father, 
I pray for these whom thou hast 
given me ; thine they were, and 
thou gavest them me. I pray for 
them, Father, that they may be one, 
even as 1, and thou art one, that 
they may be one in us." What, a 
sister or a brother, a citizen of the 
kingdom of God, a member of the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints, one who has received perad- 
venture of the ordinances of the 
house of God, and who expects to 
associate with the Saints of God, 
quarrels with his brother about pea- 
nuts and baby toys and then talk 
about your honor being infringed 
upon ! I tell you if you take care of 
yourselves, your honor will take care 
of itself and you need not be con- 
cerned about it. Treat one another 
aright. Have you sinned one 
against another? then go and make 
restitution. Have you defrauded 
one another 1 go and make it right. 
Have you spoken unkindly to your 
brother or sister? then go and 
acknowledge your wrong and ask to 
be forgiven, promismg to do better in 
the future. And then he or she 
might say, on the other hand " Yes, 
and I said so and so the other day, 
won't you please forgive me f How- 
much better and how much more in 
keeping with the calling of a Saint 
of God suqh a course would be thaa< 
to harbor hard feelings in the heart. 
And ycu parents, get your families 
in the morning and evening add call 
upon the Lord, and ask his blesatig 
upon your families, youir flocks andL 



EFFECTS OF THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL^ ETC. 



99 



herds, and upon everything that you 
have, and do not be quarreling one 
with another because you are scarce 
of water. I tell you in the name of 
the Lord God that if you will do 
your duties, God will do his, and 
furnish you with what water is 
necessary. Try me " and prove me 
herewith saith the Lord of Hosts, if 
I will not open you the windows 
t)f heaven and pour you out a bles- 
sing that there shall not be room 
enough to receive it." Husbands, 
treat your wives right ; treat them 
with kindness and with sympathy ; 
try to make them comfortable, and 
make their houses and surroundings 
comfortable and do allyou can to make 
them happy. And you wives, treat 
your husbands right ; try to make 
their homes a little heaven, and seek 
earnestly that the blessings of the 
Lord may abide in your dwellings. 
And parents, treat your children 
aright ; train them up in the fear of 
the Lord, they are of more import- 
ance to you than many things that 
you give your attention to. And 
you, children, obey your parents; 
respect your fathers and mothers. 
Your mothers have watched over 
you, and your fathers are desirous 
for your welfare, and their hearts 
and feelings and affections are drawn 
out towards you. Do not give them 
pain by departing from correct 
principles ; but walk in the paths of 
life. And parents, and children, 
husbands and wives and all people, 
fear God and put your trust in him 
and carry out the principles of your 
holy religion which God has revealed 
tons. 

I would speak a few words of 
praise of many of our brethren ; I 
think it would apply to many of you 
here. I have no disposition to find 
lault, but I have a disposition to 
speak kindly of many of my brethren 
wd sisters in many of their, opera- 



tions. In the tithing operations, for 
instance, I think that during the last 
year there has been paid some 50,000 
dollars more than the year before. 
This speaks well for the Latter-day 
Saints ; not but what the Lord could 
get along very well without these 
things, but he wants to test his peo- 
ple. This, however, proves that 
there is an increase in the right 
direction, and a proper feeling that 
ought to exist among the Saints. 
Hence, says the Lord, " Bring ye all 
the tithes into the storehouse, that 
there may be meat in mine house, 
and prove me now herewith, if I will 
not open the windows of heaven, and 
pour out a blessing, that there 
shall not be room enough to receive 
it." The Lord wants to prove his 
people and he will have a tried and 
proven people, and this is one of the 
ways he has chosen to do it In 
addition to this tithing there has 
been expended on this Temple and 
the Temple in Logan in the neigh- 
bourhood of 250,000 dollars ; this is 
very creditable, besides a very fair 
tithing on the back of that. I think 
I can speak good in the name of the 
Lord to a people that will do that, 
that is, if we will lay aside all evil 
things. Let us keep doing good. 
You have done about as much here 
as they have done in Logan, and 
they expect to get their Temple up 
to the square this summer. But 
then they did not have to make the 
foundation you have had to make 
here. They made some mistake in 
fixing up the mountains here ; they 
do not seem to be in a right shape ; 
but then we can put them in a right 
shape, you know. The scriptures 
talk about the mountains being 
thrown down. Well, you have done 
considerable towards levelling this 
down. God is pleased with you, 
and everything is going on right, and 
I speak this for your encouragement. 



100 



JOURNAL OF DISGOUBSES. 



, I am pleased to see the sisters take 
the part they do in their Eelief 
Societies. Tliey are doing a good 
work and their labors are a credit to 
them. And then there are our 
Yoang Men's and our Toung Ladies' 
Mutual Improvement Associations ; 
they are going on very welL And 
then your educational interests are 
doing pretty well Do I not so 
understand you. Brother Petersen 1 
^resident Canute Petersen — ^Yes, 

5ir ; pretty welL] We do not want 
outside folks to teach our children, 
do we! I think not We do not 
want them to teach us how to get 
to heaven, do wel K we did, it 
would be of no use, for they do not 
know the way. Well, then, we do 
not want them to tamper with the 
minds of our little ones. You will 
see the day that Zion will be as far 
ahead of the outside world in every- 
thing pertaining to learning of every 
kind as we are to-day in regard to 
reli^ous matters. You mark my 
words, and write them down, and 
see if they do not come to pass. 
We are not dependent upon them, 
but we are upon the Lord. We did 
not get our priesthood nor our 
i^ormation in r^ard to his law from 
fixem; it came from Grod. The 
world profess to know a little about 
what they call science, literature and 
the arts. Where did they get their 
knowledge of these things from? 
And what is it they really do know 1 
They know something about the 
laws of Nature. Who made those 
lawst God made them; and he 
knows how to govern them ; and it is 
by his almighty power that they are 
governed. 

I remember talking with some 
celebrated scientists from Europe 
some time ago, and I explained to 
them some of the principles relative 
to the heavenly bodies that were 
revealed through the Prophet Joseph 



Smith. They were astonished to 
know that ideas so grand could be 
developed tlirough one that was com7 
paratively unlearned. One of them 
remarked that they were the most 
magnificent principles he had eva 
heard of ; another one said that he 
had read and studied a great deal, 
but he had a good deal more yet to 
learn. We are, as the French would 
say, enrappotij with God; that is iu 
communication with God. Let us 
live so that we can keep that up, so 
that angels can minister to us and 
the Holy Spirit dwell with us. We 
havB received his guidance and 
instruction. It is for us now to co 
on from truth to truth, from inteUi- 
gence to intelligence and from 
wisdom to wisdouu And while 
nations shall crumUe and thrones be 
cast do?m, and the God of heaven 
arise and shake terribly the earth,, 
while the elements melt with fer- 
vent heat in fulfilment of ancient 
as well as modem prophecy ; while 
these things are going on he will 
whisper, peace to Zion, But the* 
judgments ynXL begin at the house of 
God. . We have to pass through 
some of these things, but it will oiuy 
be a very little compared with ihfi 
terrible destruction, the misery an<i 
suffering that will overtake tho 
world who are doomed to suffer the 
wrath of Grod. It behooves us, as 
the Saints of God, to stand firm and 
faithful in the observance of his 
laws, that we may be worthy of his 
preserving care and blessing. 

Now a word about other things* 
We want elders to go and preach tibe 
GrospeL But some people wiU say, 
" Here is such a young man who is 
a little wild ; if he were to go abroad 
perhaps he would reform." Brother 
Peterson, we do not want such follis 
to go as representatives of tho 
Gospel of Jesus Christ And I s^ 
to you. Presidents of Stakes, we 



THE PRINCIPLE OF REVELATION, ETC. 



101 



<do not want such an order of things ; 
urewantmenthathavegotwithinthem 
A'6 gift of the Holy (Siost, men who 
ffive thegifli and power of God in 
^Atn. We do not want men to go 
itfcroad to be reformed. They are 
^ot fit to live in Zion if they cannot 
Morm themselves at home. We 
must have men filled with faith and 
the Holy Ghost. And you seventies 
and high priests, wake up to a sense 
•of the responsibility of your callings, 
and purge away your follies and non- 
sense and feel that you are indeed 
the servants of the living God ; for 
God will liold you responsible for 
the priesthood you bear. Then 
honor the Lord and magnify the 
priesthood, and when you go forth 
lo the nations bearing precious seed, 
angels will go with you and the gift 
of the Holy Ghost will accompany 



you in your administrations and 
though you may go weeping, bearing 
t^e precious seed of the Gospel, you 
will return rejoicing bringing yotir 
sheaves with you. ' ^'' 

I do not know but what I have 
talked enough. Brethren and sisters 
God bless you. And God bless the 
reHef societies and the young meh*fe 
and the young ladies' societies, 
and God bless your president and 
his counselors, and your bishops and 
their counselors, and all that fear 
God, and work righteousness. And 
the Lord God put a hook in the jaWs 
of our enemies that seek our injury 
and overthrow, that they may not 
have power against the Israel of 
God. And God bless all Israel) thai 
Zion may arise and shine and the 
glory of God rest upon her. I asK 
it in the name of Jesus. Amen. 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER H. W. NAISBITT, 

Delivered in the 16th Ward Meeting House, Sunday Afternoon, 

March 7th, 1880. 



(Reported by John Irvine,) 



the brinciple of revelation and its application to THE several 
phases of life — how the brotherhood of man shall bb 
evolved. 



I presume we all understand that 
the Spirit of the Lord is in the con- 
gregation of the Saints. If we do 
act understand it and if there is any 



one that does not realize the necessi- 
ty of enjoying it, it would be a good 
thing perhaps for him to get up nero 
a while. 



102 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



When a person is called upon to 
address a congregation and notices 
the upturned faces before him, wait- 
ing, wishing, very likely praying, 
for the blessings which they particu- 
larly desire, I think that no man 
can look upon such a sight unmoved, 
he must feel his own ignorance and 
weakness, and dependence, and 
when he does this I believe that all 
public administrations will be an 
advantage and blessing both to 
the speaker and hearers, and I am 
sure that is my object this afternoon. 
I have no personal ambition to serve, 
but I do want to bless and I do 
know that I need to be blessed. And 
this is the place appointed (so far as 
this ward is concerned) for the re- 
ception of those blessings which per- 
tain to the public services of the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints. Here is the place where 
there should be intelligence. Here 
is the place where there should be 
wisdom. Here is the place to expect 
revelation, and that not in any 
vague, misty, half understood sense, 
— not lost or covered up by a multi- 
tude of words, but divested of every- 
thing that will deprive us of know- 
ledge as to the essential principles 
which belong really to revelation. 
The world, however, holds very 
peculiar ideas in regard to this. 
Every elder in Israel who will look 
back upon his experience, if it 
reaches even to the early history of 
this Church, will comprehend how 
odd and mythical the ideas in regard 
to revelation were as then held by 
mankind. It is true that the masses 
of the people as well as the teachers 
Relieved that in the ancient times 
there had been some communication 
with the intelligences who dwell 
behind the vail. They all agreed — 
all Christians did at all events — that 
the Spirit was made manifest and its 
utterances recorded in a book. They 



believed that without that book the 
world was in a lost condition, that 
men were left to grope in darkness 
and to wander in ignorance, bat 
with that book it was believed that 
every man and every woman could 
understand themselves ; they could 
understand something of their origin 
and the purpose for which they were 
dwelling upon the earth, the destiny 
which belonged to the human family, 
and also the process by which that 
destiny could be best secured. But 
it is astonishing what a little light 
will do for a man. It is astonishing 
how our minds expand when we 
receive the key to the situation. And 
when we look at the vast difference 
there is between the community wha 
inhabit these mountains and the 
communities of the nations from 
which we have been gathered — 
probably most can see and are aware 
that between the two there exists a 
great and ever widening gulf. Men 
who reject the principle of revelation 
in any direction must inevitably 
become stunted, they must inevitably 
cease to live, because revelation is- 
the element of Hfe, it is the secret of 
growth, it is the power of increase, 
and it is only in proportion to the- 
receptive ability of a man, or woman, 
or child, that they can increase in 
intelligence. Now, divested of all 
extraneous or outside ideas, divested 
of all the mystery that has been 
thrown around the idea of revela- 
tion by man-made teachers, divested, 
of all traditions and thoughts that 
have been written in regard to it, 
what is the essential idea involved 
in revelation in its significant simpli- 
city. What is there that is difficult 
of comprehension? What is there 
that it should need men of classical 
education to explain it ; what is 
there that there should be these 
large colleges and this immense army 
of ministers in order that the world 



THE PRINCIPLE OF REVELATION, ETC. 



108 



may be enlightened in regard to the 
principle of revelation ? Why, when 
you came to probe and to reach the 
foundation of the idea It is nothing 
more nor less than the communica- 
tion of intelligence possessed by one 
to another who in regard to that 
subject remains in ignorance. That 
is all there is involved in revelation, 
and whenever you find a human 
being who is ignorant of any subject 
pertaining to any direction of human 
thought, or in regard to any useful 
field of human experience, there 
revelation is an absolute necessity. 
Now, then, revelation may vary in 
degree ; it may vary in character, 
according to the necessities of the 
case, according to the intelligence of 
individuals. The mother who guides 
the destiny of a tamily and endows 
it with all the comforts of domestic 
and social life finds herself surround- 
ed by a few crude men and women, 
or, as we call them, boys or girls. 
You consider the character of this 
offspring. When they were born 
they were helpless, and in infancy 
they possessed no intelligence, save 
those animal instincts which lead 
only to the preservation of life. But 
in a few weeks or months the spirit 
•f intelligence begins to dawn. The 
mother watches the growing spark 
and seeks to fan it to a flame ; to 
point out the remedy where difl&cul- 
ty occurs in early experience ; to 
explain the educational process 
through which the child must pass 
from iiian or womanhood ; and to 
show that when the first efforts are 
made, and even when they are com- 
parative failures, that these only 
stand as sentinels or pointsmen in 
the great highway of success — 
prompters to ultimate and final suc- 
cess. The probability is that every 
young woman who has learned to 
make bread has had an experience 
of this character. And it is true 



that many of the first trials, unless 
the mother watched very closely, 
would not be successful, the bread 
might be heavy, or it become sour. 
Now it is the mother's duty to 
reveal, to give from her intelligence 
to one comparatively ignorant, a 
solution or remedy for the difficulty. 
The young girl is expected to listen 
to the mother. She has the faculty 
to receive the intelligence that is 
communicated, and to put that in- 
telligence into practice. And when 
the bread was heavy the mother 
showed the cause which brought 
about that condition. If the bread 
was sour, a little neutralizing ele- 
ment had to be put into the dough, 
in order that the acidity might be 
removed, a little soda or some- 
thing of that kind ; and this is 
a revelatory process from the mother 
to the child. If you take one of our 
good mothers in Israel who has 
grown grey under the weight of 
experience, you will find that she 
possesses a vast fund of information, 
and in every direction in domestic 
or social life she is the great 
standard of appeal, and even when 
the daughter has become a married 
woman, when she passes into the 
responsibility of motherhood, when 
sickness takes hold of the darling 
that God has given her, she instant- 
ly appeals to the higher or wider 
intelligence and experience of the 
mother, and that which the mother, 
by the advantage of years, by the 
experience through which she has 
passed, has gained, she communi- 
cates unto the daughter, and thus 
the daughter becomes the recipient 
of revelation. And as it is with the 
mother and the daughter, so also it 
is with the father and the son ; 80 
also it is with those who are learn- 
ing a trade, so also it is with those 
who attend our daily or our Sabbath 
schools, and the) very fact that we 



w* 



JOURNAL or DISCOURSKS. 



{|r«8o constituted that we can receive { 
xevelation in these channels is a 
levelation in and of itself, written in 
the fundamental organization of the 
human character, that revelation is not 
only possible and desirable, but that 
it is also a necessary and inevitable 
element pertaining to the highest 
welfare and the grand destiny and 
future of those who submit to its 
varied processes from day to day ! 
Now, this character of intelligence 
may be said to mark the very lowest 
phases of human life ; but while 
man is an animal, while he has his 
physical necessities, while he is 
surrounded with domestic life, while 
he is subject to and is a member of 
the social arena of life, there are also 
attributes of character which are 
beyond this physical, this animal, 
*nd this social cast. There is some- 
thing in every man and in every 
woman which savors of the divine, 
in all the circumstances of life there 
i^ a reaching out after something 
which is beyond the grasp ; there is 
^ soaring of the spirit, a seeking after 
something to which the present 
surroundings gave no clue. Man 
feels that he is. He not only feels 
that he is, but thousands and 
millions of the human family have 
ap. inkling of the great fact that they 
have been, and millions and millions 
more have an inkling of the other 
gieat fact that when they leave this 
stage of existence they will continue 
tp be. And it is the realization of 
^jich things which establishes the 
idea outside of any other special 
yeyelation that our origin is divine 
j^ well as human. When we sense 
(ithese ideas, when they become inter- 
jvyoven into the fabric of our lives, 
^h-en we instinctively feel that we 
4tO possess this characteristic, there 
must be certain elements and certain 
principles which will minister to the 
growth of such ideas ; just as there 



are elements of and in nature which 
minister to the welfare of the lower, 
so there are elements which minister 
to the higher, and fitted for the 
cultivation of eveiy attribute of the 
human character, no matter how low 
we may esteem it to be, or how 
lofty we may conceive it to be, there 
are resources in the economy of God 
for the development and growth 
and glory of that characteristic. 
Hence when a man realizes that he 
had a pre-existence, when he realizes 
that the present existence is but a 
transitory condition, when he realizes 
that there is a vast and illimitable 
future before him, he desires to com- 
prehend how he shall best minister 
to his individual welfare in that 
future. And 'here steps in the 
necessity of revelation based upon 
philosophy, based upon human 
necessities and human needs. The 
only way that we can be educated 
in this direction is by revelation 
coming to us from outside sources, 
from higher intelligences, from those 
who have passed through the self- 
same experience as we ourselves 
have and will for ever pass. 

Now, then, as a fundamental pro- 
cess for our education in this respect 
we have given unto us the Gospel 
That Gospel is just as systematic 
and just as orderly as are the details 
of education in a school. It is just 
as orderly and systematic as are the 
methods by which our boys are 
taught and trained in the various 
branches of education or trade. It 
is just as orderly and systematic as 
the education our wives give to their 
daughters, or that mothers give to 
their married girls. You never find 
a mother, in training her children 
for domestic life, begin to tell them 
in the first place how to make one 
of those very rich cakes that we 
sometimes make ourselves sick with 
at Christmas. You would scarcely 



THE PIUNCIPLE Of REVELATION, ETC. 



•W^ 



4nd a man who took an apprentice, 
begin to teach him in the first place 
some higher branches of kis trs^le. 
You would scarcely fii^d a teacher 
begin to teach his pupils the 
advanced principles pertaining to a 
classical education. There is an 
order ; there are steps and processes 
in every educational direction, which 
we take in their order and in tlieir 
time and place. Now one of the 
most startling revelations that has 
been given to the human family in 
the day and age in which we live, 
by the elders of Israel, to a dark and 
benighted world, is the great funda- 
mental idea of '*the fatherhood of 
God." Now, this may not appear 
so startling to the American citizen 
whose mind is impregnated with the 
idea that the human family are 
erjual, — tliat one man is as good as 
another, but in the Old World 
there exists conditions of class 
and of caste. You who have 
come from England or from 
any European n^^tion, will 
realize what I mean by class and 
caste. There is the charmed circle 
of the royal blood," into which the 
plebeian never eaters. There is the 
larger circle of the aristocracy, or, as 
we call them, the " upper ten," and 
into the precincts of that circle, 
jealously guarded as they are. a 
stranger scarcely ever enters. Then 
you were surrounded in England by 
what is called the middle classes, 
and even they look upon the lower 
classes as being made of some mate- 
rial distinct and different from them- 
selves ; but when the elders of Israel 
landed in Old England and pro- 
claimed '*the fatherhood of God," 
and laid the axe at the root of caste 
and class, they were preparing for 
the foundation of a kingdom that 
should recognize the essential unity 
of the human family and of necessity 
the brotherhood of man. It is quite 



true that under some social, religious 
or political circumstances, we hear of 
a certain unity and equality among 
the human family ; but if you 
attempt to put that unity and 
equality into practice, what are the 
results that inevitably flow from such 
a course 1 You are surrounded with 
obstacles on every hand, and it is 
only perhaps after the lapse of two 
or three generations that a man in 
his posterity is able to make his 
way from the ranks and associate 
with the higher class. It is true 
there are those here and there who 
do this, and they do it by virtue of 
inherent genius or some chance lega- 
cy, and when they are accepted into 
this higher class, it is by virtue of 
tfiis chance, etc., but as a rule 
they are looked upon as intruders. 
Take the Prime Minister of England, 
Lord Beaconstield. There is a man 
who has made himself a necessity 
to the government of the country, 
to Her Majesty, to the higher classes ; 
he has done this by virtue of the 
inspiration of the Almighty, and yet 
with all his grand attainments, that 
man man is looked upon more or less 
as an intruder because he was not 
nobly born ! And so I might multi- 
ply illustrations which would be 
familiar to you all. But the Gospel 
sets out in the first place with these 
two ideas, twin ideas, that never can 
be put asunder, the fatherhood of 
God and the brotherhood of the 
human family. 

Now, then, if we are one in our 
origin, if we are really one in 
destiny, we must all reach that 
destiny by the self-same process, 
and that process is to be found in 
the ordinances of the Gospel, in the 
power of inspiration and revelation 
resting upon those who initiate men 
and women into that order; And 
in connection with this, wherever 
and whenever you comprehend this 



106 



journaI. of discourses. 



J- 
I 



higher intelligence that bears, rule 
in the eternities, controlling the 
destines of these great orbs that we 
see from time to time in the mid- 
night heavens — ^wherever you find 
those that have graded from a 
fallen world you will find those who 
graded up and through the 
instrumentality of the self-same 
Gospel that is given to you and me. 
There is no other Gospel. There is 
no other way to that exaltation 
which pertains to the Gods only 
through the revelation of the Gospel 
of Jesus Christ. So that there is 
"no royal road" to heaven; no 
matter what a man's condition, no 
matter what the class to which he 
may have been known in social life 
on earth by virtue of birth or by 
virtue of wealth ; no matter what 
position he may occupy because of 
his ignorance or lack of information ; 
no matter whether he may live in a 
hovel or dwell in a palace, or though 
he may have but a crust to eat or his 
table be laden with all the good 
things of the earth, he must submit 
to the self-same ordinances, be con- 
trolled by the self-same spirit of 
revelation, and reach the final issue 
through the self-same channel. 

Now, then, what is it that we 
expect through the Gospel 1 Why, 
that it may develop in you and me, 
from our crude, ignorant, unloveable 
condition — the results of many a 
fearful fall — the appearance and the 
characteristics of the eternal Father. 
This self-same idea animated the 
Saints in ancient times. They had 
faith that by obedience to righteous 
laws there would be evolved in and 
from them, through the attributes 
which they already possessed, measur- 
ably dormant or measurably active 
as the case may be — that they would 
be able to produce the likeness of 
God the eternal Father. Now, 
at first view this may appear sur- 



prising, but suppose we reason upon 
it for a moment or two. 

Here are some of you good breth- 
ren ; you go to work this spring and 
you set out an orchard of apple trees, 
and by and by the time for fruit 
arrives and you go and look for pears^ 
or plums, or cherries upon the apple 
trees ! Now, what would be thought 
of your intelligence? Why every- 
body would say you have certainly 
made a mistake ; they were apple 
trees that you planted, and apples 
are the fruit ; if you want pears you 
must plant pear trees. Men don't 
gather grapes off thorns nor figs off 
thistles. Then, if we are the 
children of our Father you can see 
at a glance by that illustration that if 
we submit to the process of educa- 
tion which he had pointed out and 
laid down, we must become like him. 
Well, now, this may seem incredible 
to some that a human being, defiled 
and deformed as he is by sin and trans- 
gression, the result of ages — I say it 
may seem almost incredible that 
a human being should be able to rise 
to the characteristics and attributes 
and appearance of the Father ; but 
it is not only possible but it is inevi- 
table, and all the ancient Saints had 
this idea. One of the old prophets, 
for instance, when under the inspi- 
ration of the Almighty, has said, ** I 
shall be satisfied, when I awake, 
with thy likeness ;" and in the New 
Testament, one of the apostles 
said, looking forward to the time of 
the resurrection, that " When he 
shall appear, we shall be like him ; 
for we shall see him as he is." We 
shall have an opportunity of demon- 
strating our likeness. We shall be 
able to make the contrast, " We shall 
be like him ; for we shall see him as 
he is." And of Jesus it was said 
that " He was the brightness of his 
Father's glory and the express image 
of his person." He was like his 



THE PRINCIPLE OF REVELATION, ETC. 



lOT 



Father, and this likeness was in him 
by virtue of the fact that he lived in 
possession of the inspiration of reve- 
lation ; his course was marked out 
by that spirit. It animated every 
faculty, controlled every action, 
prompted every motive, and because 
that spirit was poured upon him 
" without measure," he became the 
glory of his Father and exhibited in 
himself the " express image of his 
person," and he, in speaking to his 
disciples, declared that they should 
become " like unto him, even as he 
was like his Father," by the recep- 
tion o. " line upon line and precept 
upon precept, here a little and there 
a little." Now, probably I might 
illustrate this from the facts of every- 
day life, the possibility, I mean, of a 
change in the features of those with 
whom we are familiar. Did you 
ever notice a man and wife who had 
lived happily together, whose 
thoughts were one, who had become 
assimilated to each other in their 
tastes and feelings so far and to suoh 
an extent that when you see them 
white with the snow of years you 
would say of them, ** I never saw a 
couple so much alike ; they are posi- 
tively like brother and sister." Did 
that ever come under your observa- 
tion 1 It has come under mine many 
and many a time. Now, what was 
the secret of that 1 Why the wife 
had become assimilated to the 
husband and the husband to the wife ; 
they were actuated upon in a great 
measure by the selfsame impulses, 
until they had become similar in 
their habits of life, so thoroughly 
one that they were like each other 
even in their facial expression, and 
when death claimed one or the other, 
but a few hours or days would pass 
before they were again and for ever- 
more united. And this is a charac- 
teristic in which we glory. But to 
illustrate this in anotlier direction. 



Here is a mother, now, or a young 
wife. Her heart overflows with 
aflfection for the husband of her 
youth. God has blessed the union 
that was made by the authority of 
the priesthood. She passes along 
until she attains to the conch* tion of 
motherhood, and in the fulness of 
her heart she brings the babe to the 
assembly of the Saints that hy the 
authority of the priesthood it may 
be dedicated to the service of God 
and to the building up of this king- 
dom. The mother's heart is full. 
It bursts almost with gratitude for 
the great boon she has received. 
She breathes many a prayer for the 
child that God has given, and by 
and by, even when the cup seems 
full to the very brim, some of her 
sisters come along and say, " what a 
beautiful baby you have got ; how 
very like its father;" and that is the 
last drop needful to make the 
mother's soul and ambition full to 
overflowing. To say that the babe 
was like herself would perhaps have 
been quite as correct ; but when it 
was pronounced to be like his father, 
more especially if its father was a 
good husband, if he was everything 
that he should be in regard to char- 
acter — there was no limit to the love 
and affection she could bear for her 

husband and their child. 

# « « « « 

There is an illustration we can 
apply in another direction. We 
have all come down from the eter- 
nities of the past to this period of 
probation. I think the probabilities 
are that while we dwelt there we 
were in possession of a goo<i deal of 
intelligence. There were many 
facilities, 1 expect, for the acquisition 
of such intelligence as was adapted 
to our condition. I believe that we 
were there taught the necessity and 
advantage of taking a probation 
upon the earth. I believe that there 



^08 



JOUliNAL OF DISCO UKItUEii. 



we exhibited a great many of the I 
attributes of our Father, the Father 
of our spirits ; but we came down 
liere apd we took upon us taber- 
nacles ; these tabernacles are given 
to us by our earthly father and by 
our mother. And they came to us 
corrupted, they came to us contami- 
nated by the vast variety of evils 
with which our fathers have afflicted 
themselves during many generations. 
When we consider the exalted char- 
acter of our first father, when we 
consider the position that he 
occupies, and when we consider his 
offspring on the earth subject to the 
infirmities of the flesh, it is not 
unlikely that many are lead to say, 
" how can we be the children of our 
father who art in heaven 1 And if 
we are his children how can we 
renew or be restored to his image 
and likeness, how can we develop 
the attributes which he possesses, 
how can we become like him in our 
spirits and more or less in our 
tabernacles." Why we shall have 
to do this by the reception of his 
spirit, and by cultivating the princi- 
ples of life that come through revela- 
tion. When we come to look at 
each other as we are, we see stamped 
in our countenances selfishness, we 
see exhibitions of sensuality, we see 
the evidences of a thousand and one 
conditions to which we have been 
subjected and our fathers before us. 
Now, the Gospel has been given us 
to do away with sin and death , it 
has been given to develop in us the 
attributes and characteristics of our 
Father in heaven from faculties we 
already possess. Well, now, we 
will suppose that one of those angels 
of intelligence surrounding the 
throne of God comes down to the 
streets of Salt Lake City. He goes 
up one of the principal thorough- 
fares and peers into the face of 
everyone that passes. He marks 



our plainness, or, in some instances, 
ugliness. He can detect at a glance 
where the faculties are perverted^ 
and where they are in their norrnal 
condition. He can see in a moment 
how we have been beclouded by sin, 
how we have been subjected to evil 
influences, how we have given way 
to temptation, and how we are the 
subjects of the conditions which sur- 
round us. But as he passes along 
he meets one of a little different 
stamp. A man may be dwelling in 
a hovel on the bench or in the low 
wards of the city, and he steps up 
to such a one and says, *' how do you 
do.'* " Why," says the person 
addressed, " you have the advantage 
of me, I do not know that I ever 
saw you before." " Well, now, 
probably you never did, but," says 
he, " I know you although I never 
saw you." " Well, how do you 
know me." " Why, I am from the 
eternities that are beyond the vail, 
T am come from where your Father 
dwells and I can see in the lustre of your 
eye, I can feel by the aura or influ- 
ence which surrounds you as you 
move from place to place, that you 
are animated by the spirit of your 
Father's house, I can discern in your 
physiognomy the lineage of your pro- 
genitors." Well, what is the secret 1 
Simply that there is a man living his 
religion. He is filled with the Spirit 
and power of God. It is a lamp to 
his feet and a light to his path. It 
actuates him in all the circumstances 
of life ; as a father, as a member of 
the Church to which he belongs and 
as a citizen. It is this which gives 
lustre to the eye and elasticity to the 
step, even when the body is bent 
with weight of years, and the stran- 
ger who has come direct from the 
eternal worlds can see that there is 
a man who has been with Jesus and 
has learned of him. Will it glorify 
a man and woman in this respect 



THE PRINCIPLE OF REVELATIOK, ETC. 



10^ 



while they are in the flesh 1 Yes, it 
will, and when men and women in 
general come in contact with them, 
they will be prepared to bear testi- 
mony that they are in the enjoyment 
of a good, or as we may say, right 
spirit. Wliile they are tabernacling 
in the flesh they are preparing for 
the more exalted condition and state 
which belongs to them in the future, 
and many and many a man and 
woman have exhibited some of the 
characteristics which were exhibited 
by tlie indivdual who came to the 
Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos. 
John fell at his feet to worship him, 
" See thou do it not (said he), I am 
thy fellow servant, and of thy bre- 
thren that have the testimony of 
Jesus. Worship God." John 
thought from the glory surrounding 
him that he must be God himself, 
and he began to bow the knee to 
him. " See thou do it not." And 
when we see a man whom we recog- 
nize as faithful in all the conditions 
of life, as " a man whom we can tie 
to " — to use a common expression, a 
man who is on hand all the time, 
who is living his religion, we feel 
involuntarily to lift our hats to such 
a 'one, and this intuitive reverence 
whicih we pay to hutnatt character, 
is testimony of God witllih the vail 
of flesh, and also an evidence of the 
spirit of revelation ami inspiration. 

Now, this is the purpose of our 
religion, and althoitgh our receptive 
faculties may be comparatively dor- 
mant, yet they can beconie enlarged. 
You and I . have a right to enjoy 
i^Velatiun and inspiration. It is not 
confined to ofiicials or to the ordained 
elders of Israel, it is not confined to 
the first presidency, to the twelve 
aj)08tles, to the seventies or the high 
priests, but it i$ within the reach of 
every man arid womari in Israel, and 
we -cart liring that spirit of revelation 
lo bekr Upon our diity, in bur social 



as well as our religious life. Now, 
1 know there, are a great many who 
think that the spirit of revelation 
and inspiration is of no use in the 
details of every day life. This, 
however, is a mistake, for the self 
same inspiration and revelation can 
qualify a man in business, it can help 
his faculties, enlarge his reason, and 
make him more noble and godlike 
and intelligent in all the directions 
he may be called upon to act in. To 
be sure there are those who say that 
our religion has nothing to do with 
our business. I recollect one of our 
leading men asserting that President 
Young might direct in spiritual 
things, he might direct in matters 
pertaining to the Gospel, "but, when 
it came to business, he knew what 
business was !*' Now, that is a mis- 
take because the object of this 
Gospel is to minister to our spiritual 
and also to our temporal w^ants and 
interests. Take our bishops as an 
illustration. Are they not called to 
administer in the temporal affairs of 
the kingdom 1 What is their office 1 
They are fathers to the people. They 
are to see that every man becomes 
self-sustaining. They are called npoici 
to open up industries for the growing 
youth of our Territory. We sustain 
them in that office. Thus our reli- 
gion enters into temporal things and 
they are ordained, and set apart for 
this. When Brother George Q. ' 
Cannon goes to represent us in Con- 
gress he is set apart for that office, 
and the priesthood lay their hand^ ^ 
upon him in order that he may b0 
blessed in that capacity. When 
Brother Staines goes down to Ne'v^ 
York, he goes there to attend to 
those duties which are temporal, but 
he is set apart by the Authorities of 
this Church to officiate in that chal^• 
acter. The Gospel therefore inter- 
feres in our temporal arrangements, 
I And this is no netr thedry. It is ^ 



110 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



old as the everlasting hills ; it per- 
tains to eternity, it will exist 
throughout all the eteifnities of the 
future. If you turn back in the 
old book to the history of the 
tabernacle in the wilderness, you 
find that, under the jurisdiction of 
Moses, there were certain men who 
labored on that building that were 
inspired of God. He caused his 
Spirit to rest upon them, and you 
will notice it in a greater degree 
when you come to the building of 
the temple of Solomon. You will 
find there were men inspired to work 
in that direction. And that which 
was good in the years of the past is 
^ood in the day and age in which 
we live, and the day will yet come 
in Israel when men will be set apart 
to act in more temporal capacities 
than many in Israel dare to think of 
now. When a man shows that he 
has received a gift from God, no 
matter about its character, whether 
it is a gift of wisdom, ©r whether it 
is a gift leading into mechanics, 
science or literature — whenever that 
man exhibits these attainments, and 
he is taken and set apart by the 
pervants of God, you will see that 
spirit enlarge his faculties, increase 
his judgment, and when that day 
comes, you will see a good spirit in 
the midst of Israel. It will glow 
and grow and iucreaae in every 
direction that will minister to the 
welfare of the kingdom as a whole. 
Why, even now, in the building of 
our Temples, Brother T. 0. Angell 
And others are sustained as architects. 
Now, what has religion to do with 
building a house? Much. Has it 
fo do with teaching a school 1 Yes. 
Has it to do with domestic economy ] 
•Yes ; I know it has ; and wherever 
you find men and women who will 
cultivate that spirit and follow its 
counsel, you will find that they will 
become famous in the direction in 



which they act. They are inspired 
of God, led by his spirit, and have 
access to the intelligence that lies 
behind the vail, and those who have 
had experience there will minister to 
our wants, so that when Zion begins 
to grow she will fairly shine. She 
will support everything that will 
contribute to the welfare and glory 
of the greatest kingdom that was 
ever set up upon the earth, until 
men shall say, " Come ye, and let 
us go up to the mountain of the 
Lord, to the house of the God of 
Jacob ; and he will teach us of his 
ways, and we will walk in his paths." 
Now, this is the purpose for which 
you and I have come from the Old 
World, from the different States in 
the New World, and from the dif- 
ferent parts of Europe and the 
islands of the sea, to be taught of 
God, to enjoy his Spirit, to be 
educated in his Church, to be 
subject to his authority, and 
to grow and increase in the know- 
ledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Now that is something worth having, 
something that is worth living for, 
something that outshines and out- 
distances all the organizations 
and systems which men may have 
introduced. It is the Gospel of the 
living God. It is the Spirit of the 
living God burning in the hearts of 
the Saints. But far too many of us 
neglect this Spirit, we grieve it, we 
do not listen to its admonitions. 
How many in Israel have bartered 
their homes and sunk their means 
in a " hole in the ground," because 
they would not listen to the counsels 
of God through his servants ? How 
many failures in life, because of our 
ignorance, notwithstanding the 
fountains of intelligence are open at 
which we can drink 1 How many of 
us lose our children because we fail 
to apply to these great fountains, so 
that all could operate and under- 



ETERNAL XiATURE OF THE OQSFELy ETC. 



Ill 



stand how to resist adverse influ- 
while we are in the flesh. 



ences. 



Now, if we would cultivate this 
spirit, if we would listen to its teach- 
ings, it would come to us in many 
ways, in visions, in dreams and 
manifestations of the power of God. 
We could have the ministration of 
angels, and many of us probably the 
ministration of the Son — as oorae 
have done in the history and experi- 
ence of this Church — and this is the 
position to which we will all arrive 
if we are faithful to the great trust 
that is laid upon us ; we shall not 
only enjoy the society of "an 
innumerable company of angels," not 
only come "to the general assembly 



and church of the firstborn," but we 
shall also be privileged to go to 
Jesus, and to God the Father of us 
all and there bask in his presence 
and be educated in his ways and sit 
down to the glory which awaits the 
just. 

Isow, may God bless us with his 
Spirit, may he lift us from the 
grovelling condition in wliich we 
find ourseves placed ; may he infuse 
into and surround us with the influ- 
ence of his Spirit, that we may live 
indeed a new life, and so glorify God 
" in our bodies and spirits which are 
his," is ray prayer in the name of 
Jesus. Amen. 



DISCOURSE BY PRESIDEiJlT JOHN TAYLOR, 
Delivered at American Fork, Friday, November 28th, 1679 

(Reported by Geo. F, Gibbs,) 



eternal nature of the gospel — THE PRINCIPLE OF LIFE 
INCREASE — THE SOURCE OF ALL INTELLIGENCE — RIGHT OF 
CREATOR TO GOVERN THE CRU^TURE — ^DUTIES OF THE SAINTS. 



AND 



I have been much interested in 
the remarks made by Brother Joseph 
F. Smith this morning. They are 
true and are a part of the Grospel of 
life and salvation which embraces all 
truth. While he. was speaking this 
passage of Scripture occurred to my 



mind. Jesus said, "Whosoever 
heareth these sayings of mine, and 
doeth them, I will liken him unto a 
wise man which built his house upon 
a rock : And the rain descended and 
the floods came, and the winds blew 
and beat upon that house ; and it fell 



112 



JOURNAL OF Dtl^OOURSldl. 



not ; for it was founded upon a rock. 
And every one that heareth these 
sayings of mine and doeth them not 
shall be likened unto a foolish man, 
which built his house upon the sand : 
And the rain descended, and the 
floods came, and the winds blew, 
and beat upon that house; and it 
fell ; and great was the fall of it." 

There is not a principle associated 
with the Gospel of the Son of God 
but what is eternal in its nature and 
consequences, and we cannot with 
impunity trample upon any princi- 
ple that is correct without having to 
suffer the penalty thereof before God 
and the holy angels, and in many 
instances before men. The princi- 
ples of the Gospel being eternal, 
they were framed and originated 
with the Almighty in eternity before 
the world was, according to certain 
eternal laws, and hence the Gospel 
is called the everlasting Gospel. It 
is like God, without beginning of 
days or eyid of years, and, as the 
Lord says, "I am the Lord and J 
change not.** The Gospel is eternal 
and does not change; it is eternal 
in its principles and consequences. 

And the angel who was to come 
in the last days flying in the midst 
of heaven was to proclaim the ever- 
lasting £[os|>d — the same Gospel 
that Adam had, the same Gospel 
that Noah had, the same Gospel thai 
Abraham had, the same Gospel. that 
the prophets had, the same Gospel 



that Jesus had, also the same Go^peT^ciple of vitality exists within them- 



that the Nephites had here upofi 
iftiis coiitinent, and which Jesus re- 
vealed to them, and that they had 
indeed before he was in the flesh. It 
& ^the everlasting Gospel whitfc 
oittgs life and immortality to light, 
finfl which enters into all the ramifi- 

tMons of human existence and to 
lia existence of the Gods, and to lih^ 
ffifetence of this world and of ifll 
otiiet worlds. 



As Brother Joseph F. Smith has 
justly said, the first command 
given was, ** Be fruitful and 
multiply and replenish the earth, 
and subdue it ; and have do- 
minion over the fish of the sea, 
and over the fowls of the air, and 
over every living thing that moveth 
upon the e.arth." 

There is a principle of life associ- 
ted with the Gospel — life temporal, 
life spiritual and life eternal. Hence 
men are called to be fathers of lives 
and women are called to be mothers 
of lives. We are fathers and mothers 
of lives. And there is something 
different associated with the order 
of God from any order of men that 
exists upon the earth. 

When God created the earth and 
placed man upon it, and the fishes of 
the sea and the fowls of the air, and 
the grasses and plants and trees, etc., 
he placed in them the principle of 
life, or, in other words, the power 
of propagating their own species. 
And if it were not for that, what 
would you farmers dol Men can 
accomplish a great many things. 
They can build houses, railroads and 
steamboats, and can do a great many 
clever things whereby they can com- 
mand, to a certain extent, the forces 
oT nature; but they cannot give 
vitality to any of them. They can- 
not even furnish material to make a 
grain of sand, the wisest of them. 
»Ut God has ordained that this prin- 



seives. You take a single grain 6t 
whea^, for instance, and put it into 
the earth and you will see the prin- 
ciple of life begin to manifest itself, 
it is very small apparently, but eon- 
taiiis -within itself the power of iii- 
crease. The same is also true with 
regard tb the grasses, shrubs, plants 
and flovi^ers, and the various things 
that eadst ih creation. They spread, 
ihey extend, and they have spreaiS 



ETERNA^i NATURE OF THE GOSPEL, ETC. 



113 



over the face of the earth as man 
has spread, and the rain descends 
and the sun shines and nature, as 
we term it, operates ; but I would 
call it the power of God which oper- 
ates according to eternal laws and 
principles that he has ordained. He 
gives vitality to all creation and sets 
life into motion and controls it, in 
the heavens as well as in the earth ; 
not only among men, but among the 
beasts of the field, the fowls of the 
air, thie fishes of the sea, and all the 
grasses, plants and flowers and herbs 
etc., everything possessing the prin- 
ciple of life within itself. You 
farmers know that, and hence you 
store up your different seed^ and in 
the proper season take them and 
plant them and they grow and 
increase and spread ; these things 
look very small. It is very little to 
look at a grain of wheat, but then if 
you don't have it you never could 
raise wheat. Can you farmers make 
one solitary grain of wheat without 
the seed 1 It is apparently a small 
thing but you can't do it. You can 
try it if you please, but you will not 
succeed. You cannot make a 
peppergrass seed ; but if you take 
one of those seeds or a grain of 
wheat and sow it and water it you 
may by its increase spread it over all 
the face of the earth ; but if you did 
not have the seed you could not 
accomplish anything. I do not care 
how smart you are or what rules of 
philosophy or science you may have 
come across, all I ask of you is to 
make a grain of oats or wheat But 
then, we will stop at the wheat. If 
we cannot do that we are not so 
very important, are wel There 
needs a superior power to give this 
vitality. You look at it. You see 
to-day the trees are leafless, there 
are no flowers in bloom, everything 
is seared and withered and appar- 
ently gone to decay. By and by 
No. 8. 



I according to the principles of nature, 
or the laws of God, spring comes 
along, and the birds begin to sing 
and feel happy, the grass begins to 
shoot forth, the flowers begin to bud, 
the trees begin to blossom. And 
who gives this vitality and main- 
tains it ] God. Could you do much 
without himi No. Why, you fcannot 
even make your grain to grow after 
it is provided for you without water. 
You try it sometimes but you make 
a poor out of it, and withal we need 
the revivifying heat of the sun. 
The grass begins to shoot up and by 
and by we have the wheat and corn, 
first the blade and ear and then full 
corn in the ear. We have apple 
trees, plum trees, and the various 
fruit trees budding, blossoming and 
bearing fruit, all these things are 
provided by whom ] By the omni- 
potent, omniscient hand of the 
Almighty according to certain eter- 
nal laws that he has provided for 
man and for every creature that 
exists upon the face of the earth. 

But we will come back to the 
things spoken of by Joseph F. Smith. 
This principle of life is the origin of 
our world, not only of this world, 
but of others ; and this propagating 
and multipljdng is ordained of the 
Almighty for the peopUng of these 
worlds. And this production of 
life that I have briefly alluded to is 
another principle that exists to 
supply the want of another kind of 
life that exists here upon the 'earth. 
And without this there could be no 
world ; all would be chaos, all would 
be darkness, all would be death, and 
the works of God would amount ta 
nothing if it were not for this lifo 
and vitality. 

Now, 1 want to speak further on 
a principle associated with this sub-^ 
ject, that is, that in the .providence . 
of God, or according to the eterr^ . 
laws of God and the eternal fitnesa 

Vol. XXI. 



114 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



of things as they exist with him in 
the eternal worlds and as they exist 
here upon the earth, all of us are or 
should be as much under the guid- 
ance and direction of God, and are 
as much obligated to listen to his 
law and be governed by his counsels 
and advice — and I should think a 
little more so — than we would be in 
making that grain of wheat to grow 
or ten thousand million of them to 
grow, for we could not do it without 
being governed by those laws requi- 
site to produce the increase. Fur- 
thermore, we all are the offspring of 
God, are we not ? I think the Scrip- 
tures read that " We are all his off- 
spring ; that he is the God and 
Father of the spirits of all flesh ;" 
and being the God and Father of 
the spirits of all flesh, and having 
made a world for all flesh to inhabit, 
and having made provision for the 
sustenance of that flesh, for their 
food, clothing, comfort, convenience 
and happiness, and given them 
intelligence and told them to go 
forth and manipulate the abundance 
of nature to their use, has he not 
a right to lead and direct us, to ask 
obedience to his law? Would not 
that be a legitimate right, when we 
Inflect upon it? The world says, 
No, he has no right ; I am my own 
master, etc. Some of the Latter- 
&y Saints almost say the same 
tMng; not quite, but they would 
Ipce to get near it. ** I aupi a free 
mt^ ; I will be damned if I (ion't do 
as I please," etc, W^ll, I will tell 
ydu another part of that stoi^'. You 
\ml'be damned if you do act as y©u 
please unless you plf^ase to do, and to 
kieepHhe laws of God. We cannot 
T^late his laws wifli impui^ity nor 
trample under foot these eternal 
p^ciple? wHchexist in all nature. 
IfHall nature is compelled to be, gov- 
erned by law or suffer loss, why not 
nknf 



Now, then, he has revealed unto 
us the Gospel. He has gathered us 
together from among the nations of 
the earth for the accomplishment of 
his purposes. For this he has used 
higher measures and more exalted 
principles than are associated with 
some of the lower orders of nature, 
some of these things that exist in 
nature. But who can comprehend 
them 1 The world with all its wis- 
dom knows very little about them. 
The world with all its wisdom 
knows nothing about God. What 
is the acme of the perfection of 
knowledge that exists anywhere to- 
day 1 What is the highest step of 
the ladder they can reach ? To dis- 
cover scMne principles or laws of 
nature and become acquainted with 
them and then they make terrible 
blunders at that But this is the 
acme of perfection that any philoso- 
pher or scientist or intelligent man 
professes to reach — to understand 
some of the laws of nature. But 
how much of these do they know. 
Why, in my time, in order to show 
how much they know and how little, 
I wlQ mention some things that have 
not existed in my day. They did 
not know of the oil we bum in this 
room. I can remember that in some 
of the large cities of the earth all 
they had to light then w^ tallow or 
wax candles or whale oil, which was 
just about enpugh to make darkness 
visible. And after all the thousands 
of years that men have existed upon 
the earih tjiiey cannpt even make 
the oil you bum to-day, and they 
did not have it when I was young. 
But did that principle that exists m 
the oijl always exist 1 Yes. Why 
did't they und it out? Becajuse 
they only understpod a f^w of the 
principles of iia^ure notwithstanding 
all tJxeir philosophy; and inteHj(gence/ 
A^in, who knew .any;thing libout 
gas, in those days 1 I can retn^nber 



ETERNAL NATURE OF THE GOSPEL, ETC. 



115 



the time when the streets and shops 
were ' first lighted up with gas. 
What did they have before ] Tallow 
candles ; those in common use we 
used to call dips. You old people 
know about this and whale oil, but 
you did not know anything about 
gas j but did not gas always exist 1 
Yes. Why did they not know it 1 
Because they were like us, didn't 
know much. Again, what did they 
know about the power of steam] 
I can remember the time when theie 
was no such thing as steamboats, 
when we who lived in England had 
to come to America in sailing vessels. 
They had, it is true, some sriiall 
vessels that were used on the rivers 
propelled by steam, which they 
could not trust in the ocean, and a 
little time before that they had no 
steamers of any kind. And then 
what about our railroads'? Did 
they know how to apply steam to 
locomotives? No. I remember 
riding on the first railroad that was 
built, and here is Brother Robinson, 
who was one of the conductors of 
that same railroad that ran between 
Liverpool and Manchester. I think 
he is now nearly the first railroad 
conductor, and the oldest living. 
Why didn't men find out these 
things'? We have had intelligent 
men and philosophers in all ages to 
the present time, but none could 
understand these things. Yet the 
principles are eternal in their nature 
and always existed, and all it needed 
was to bring them out. And when 
men discovered them they thought 
they were some great beings. And 
what did they discover? Simply 
something that God had already 
paade long ag©, only they did*t know 
it In talking about these things I 
am reminded of a little baby. You 
sisters have your babies, and you are 
aware how little they know at first, 
and we ourselves do not know very 



much ; we are only babies of a big- 
ger growth. One of the first things 
they find out is that they have a 
foot, and they try to put it in their 
mouth. They look at it in astonish- 
ment. Why, they always had that 
foot since their birth. Why did'nt 
they know it before 1 Another 
thing they find out they have a hand 
and they think what a curious thing 
it is, and they look at it and the 
motion of their fingers with astonish- 
ment, and they think they have 
made a great discovery. But there 
is not much difference between the 
world of mankind and the babies 
when we come to look at it. The 
child had nothing to do with the 
making of its hands, neither have 
we had anything to do with origina- 
ting any of these principles. God 
made them, and we have simply dis- 
covered some of the powers of what 
is termed nature, and when we have 
found out a little of these things we 
take the glory to ourselves ; we feel 
very much like the king of Babylon 
when he said, '^ Is not this Great 
Babylon that I have built r* The 
Lord, however, started him off to 
eat grass like an ox. He had to live 
on it until seven years had passed 
over him, when the Lord restored 
him to his natural state, and he then 
knew that there was a God who 
lived and ruled in the heavens and 
on the earth. It is for us to learn 
this lesson and to find out that there 
is a God who rules in heaven, and 
that he manages, directs and con- 
trols the affairs of the human family. 
We are not our own rulers ; we are 
all the children of God ; he is our 
Father and has a right to direct us, 
not only us, but has a perfect right 
to direct and control the affairs of all 
the human family that exists upon 
the face of the earth, for they are all . 
his offspring. Now, he feels kindly 
towards them and knows what kind 



IIG 



JOURNA.L OF DISCOURSES 



of people they are, and also what we 
are, and he would do everything he 
could for them even if in his al- 
mighty wisdom he has to kill them 
off in order to save them. He 
destroyed the antediluvian world on 
that account, because they were not 
filling the measure of their creation. 
They had corrupted themselves to 
such an extent that it would have 
been an injustice to the spirits in the 
eternal worlds if they had to come 
through such a corrupt lineage to be 
subject to all the trouble, incident 
thereunto, and therefore God 
destroyed them. He cut off the 
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in 
consequence of their corruptions, 
and by and by he will shake all the 
inhabitants of the earth, he will 
shake thrones and will overturn 
empires and desolate the land and 
lay millions of the human family in 
the dust. Plagues and pestilence 
will stalk through the earth because 
of the iniquities of men, because of 
some of these corruptions that 
Brother Joseph F. Smith has briefly 
hinted at, namely, the perversion of 
the laws of nature between the sexes, 
and the damnable murders that exist 
among men. 

Not long ago, I was called upon 
by some intelligent, or those who 
profess to be intelligent men, who 
asked me something about polygamy. 
" How is it with you," said I ; "do 
you know that in this land of yours 
you are murdering hundreds of thou- 
sands of infants every year 1 Do you 
know that you have among you peo- 
ple who are considered the most 
iashionable and honorable that are 
murderers, who destroy the life that 
God has given before and afterbirth, 
and interfere with the laws of the 
Almighty. Do you know that they 
are doing that 1 " Yes, we believe 
they are doing it." " Do you know 
that you are wallowing in corruption 



and degradation, and that your 
social evils and other damnable 
corruptions that exist are spreading 
and permeating through all your 
society f "Yes." "Well, yoa 
please go and attend to your own 
affairs. It certainly does not look 
well for you who hail from these 
sinks of infamy and degradation to 
preach morality to us. Please attend 
to your own affairs first and get 
them straightened out before you 
come to correct us." Yet these very 
people, these lascivious men sitting 
upon the bench and pleading in the 
courts will arraign honorable men 
for obeying a law of God. Will we 
obey it 1 In the name of Israel's 
God we will. (The congregation 
said " Amen.") We will carry out 
his purposes, we will obey his 
behests, we will, with his help, 
abide his law, and our persecutors 
cannot help themselves, for God will 
put a hook into their jaws and he 
will lead them whithersoever he will 
and put a stop to their career by 
and bye. But he will look in kind- 
ness upon Zion and honor those who 
honor and obey' his law. 

Now these are my feelings in rela- 
tion to these things. We ought to 
observe the laws of God. The Lord 
has taken a great deal of pains to 
bring us where we are and to give 
us the information we have. Ho 
came himself, accompanied by his 
Son Jesus, to the Prophet Joseph 
Smith. He didn't send anybody but 
came himself, and introducing hi& 
Son, said : This is my beloved Son^ 
hear him." And he permitted the 
ancient prophets, apostles and men. 
of God that existed in different agea 
to come and confer the keys of their 
several dispensations upon the pro- 
phet of the Lord, in order that he 
should be endowed and imbued with 
the power and Spirit of God, with 
the light of revelation and the eter- 



BTERNAL NATURE OF THE GOSPEL, ETC. 



117 



nal principles of the everlasting 
Gospel, and that the keys committed 
to him, might, through him, be con- 
ferred upon others, and that the 
principles of eternal truth as they 
exist in the heavens, might extend 
to the nations of the earth, that 
these degrading, loathsome, damning 
principles might cease, that his peo- 
ple might be gathered to Zion from 
the four corners of the earth, and 
learn his laws. Says Jesus in his 
parable of the good shepherd, " and 
the sheep hear his voice, and he 
calleth his own sheep by name, and 
ieadeth them out. And when he 
putteth forth his own sheep he goeth 
before them and the sheep follow 
him; for they know his voice." 
Now, he has brought us together 
here. Whose sheep are we ? Says 
Jesus, •* I pray for them : I pray not 
for the world, but for them which 
thou hast given me ; for they are 
thine. # ♦ * 

Neither pray I for these alone, but 
for them also which shall believe on 
me through their word. That they 
all may be one ; as thou. Father, art 
in me and I in thee, that they also 
may be one in us : that the world 
may believe that thou hast sent me." 
He has gathered us together here 
for what? To teach us his law 
through the medium of the Holy 
Priesthood. Jesus, in sending forth 
his disciples in former times said 
unto them, ** He that receiveth you 
receiveth me, and he that receiveth 
me receiveth him that sent me." 

Now, God has ordained his Holy 
Priesthood upon the earth with 
presidents, apostles, bishops, high 
councils, seventies, high priests, and 
the order and organization of the 
Church and kingdom of God in its 
fulness and completeness, more 
complete perhaps, than it ever 
was since the world was 
framed. Whyl BecausQ it is the 



dispensation of the fulness of times, 
embracing all other times that have 
ever existed since the world was, 
and he has gathered us together for 
that purpose. Is it to sow and plant 
and try to make ourselves comfort- 
able and to follow the customs of the 
world in their corruptions and to 
wallow in infamy and rob and plun- 
der one another, acting deceitfully 
and impurely without any regard to 
virtue or any of the laws that govern 
the Church and kingdom of Godi 
No. But that we might be a pecu- 
liar people full of the light of truth 
and intelligence and revelations of 
God ; that we might be a people 
having no longer ncQd of the oral 
law or the written law, but a people 
upon whose hearts the law of God 
shall be written and engraven as in 
characters of living fire, being under 
the inspiration and guidance of the 
Almighty, walking according to the 
principles of eternal truth, and being 
led in the paths of life ; being united 
with God and his Son Jesus Christ 
and with the ancient patriarchs and 
apostles and men of God, operating 
with them in the building up of 
Zion, in establishing the kingdom of 
God upon the earth, and in spread- 
ing salvation to the ends of the 
earth. This is what he has brought 
us here for. And also that we 
might build temples to officiate in 
them for the living and the dead, 
and that we might go forth to the 
nations of the earth, carrying the 
glad tidings of peace ; and that we 
might be as a city set upon a hill 
that cannot be hid ; and that being 
in unison with God and the patri- 
archs and apostles, we might draw 
down the light and intelligence of 
heaven upon the earth to enable us 
to operate with them according to 
the principles of justice and equity 
and the laws of life and every princi- 
ple connected with the salvation of 



118 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



the human family, and that we might 
go on from strength to strength 
from intelligence to intelligence, 
until we shall be capable of 
enjoying a celestial glory and 
shall be prepared to enter therein ; 
and until all that shall be prepared 
to have a celestial glory shall enjoy 
that, and those who are prepared for 
the terrestrial glory to have that, 
and also the telestial to enjoy what 
belongs to them, and that we may 
co-operate with God in the eternal 
worlds and the intelligences of 
heaven for the accomplishment of 
this object. And that while they 
operate in the heavens, we may 
operate for them upon the earth. 
This is what we are here for as I 
understand it. 

What else] Make settlements; 
break loose. Some of you are cry- 
ing " give us room." There is 
plenty of room, and in making these 
settlements we want to carry with 
us the principles of the Gospel and 
plant them in different places. We 
are sending out persons into the 
north-east of this Territory, and we 
want them to go filled with the 
Holy Ghost and the spirit of the 
living God. And we are sending 
some to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho 
and other places, and we will stretch 
out further and further. Zion*s 
cords shall be lengthened and her 
stakes shall be strengthened until 
her armies shall become mighty and 
numerous and until God shall say 
to the Gentiles, it is enough, and 
then God will give the government 
into our hands. 

We have come to set you and to 
talk with you. We want to see you 
at your own homes. These railroads 
whisk us by at such a rapid rate 
that many times we have not time 
to stop and visit with you. But we 
thought this time we would come 
with our own carriages and visit the 



people in their own homes and talk 
with them and see how they fed 
and that they may judge of our feel- 
ings with regard to the building up 
of the kingdom of God upon the 
earth. You elders of Israel — and 
there are many in this congregation 
— let me ask you — ^Do you have 
prayers in your family 1 (Turning 
round and addressing Bishop Har- 
rington, the speaker said ) : May I 
act as teacher for a little while 1 

The Bishop — ^Yes, we will be glad 
to have you. 

The speaker — ^Well, then, I will 
repeat the question — Do you have 
prayers in your family 1 (A voice in 
the congregation. Yes.) And when 
you do, do you go through the opera- 
tion like the guiding of a piece of 
machinery; or do you bow in meek- 
ness and with a sincere desire to 
seek the blessing of God upon you 
and your household 1 That is the 
way that we ought to do, and culti- 
vate a spirit of devotion and trust in 
God, dedicating ourselves to him, 
and seeking his blessings. 

Here is one brother says he does. 
But how is it with the balance of us] 
J am talking to all of you. Hus- 
bands, do you love your wives and 
treat them right, or do jou think 
that you yourselves are some great 
Moguls who have a right to crowd 
upon them ] They are given to you 
as a part of yourself, and you ought 
to treat them with all kindness, with 
mercy and long suffering, and not be 
harsh and bitter, or m any way 
desirous to display your authority. 
Then, you wives, treat your hus- 
bands right, and try to make them 
happy and comfortable. Endeavor 
to make your homes a little heaven, 
and try to cherish the good Spirit of 
God. Then let us as parents train 
up our children in the fear of God 
and teach them the laws of life. If 
you do, we will have peace in our 






STERNAL NATURE OF THE GOSPEL, ETC. 



110 



bosoms, peace in our famiUes and 
peace in our surroundings. Have 
we any difficulty with our neigh- 
bors] Why, Gentiles strive to 
avoid that. Cannot we pass by 
some of these hard words, as the old 
man used to say when a child would 
come to a big word, " Pass it by, my 
dear, and call it a hard word." 
When you come across a hard word, 
pass it by ; don't utter it. 

Nay, speak no ill; 
A kindly word can never leave a sting 
behind. 

Let us treat one another with kind- 
ness and one another's reputation 
with respect, and feel after one 
another's welfare, treating every- 
body as we would like God to treat 
us. And then, when we come to 
the Lord, we can say, " Father, for- 
give us our trespasses, as we forgive 
them that trespass against us ;*' for 
if we do uot forgive our brother, how 
can we expect our heavenly Father 
to forgive us 1 If we have had any 
difficulty with our neighbor, let us 
endeavor to make it right. Say, 
"Brother or sister so and so, my 
conscience rather troubles me about 
something 1 sai<i about you or did 
to you, or som6 deal I had in which 
I got the advantage of you, and I 
have come to make it riglit, for I am 
determined to do right, no matter 
what other people do." And let us 
all seek after one another's welfare. 
If we can help one another, let us do 
it — financially or socially — ^and don't 
betray one another. Some people, 
some poor, miserable — 1 don't care 
to say a hard word — I will call them 
sneaks, they will try, because a man 
has married a wife according to the 
laws of God, to bring an accusation 
against him. Such men will be 
damned and such women will be 
damned. Do you know that, when 
these miserable sneaks come into 
your house on every kind of pretence. 



perhaps to sell wagons or machinery 
of some kind, in the midst of their 
conversation they are known to ask 
such questions as " how many wives 
has your husband got 1" Poor, low 
miserable sneaks. Kick them out 
of your house, have nothing to do 
with such low, infernal trash. 
While we treat good men aright, 
kick such villains out of your house, 
they have no business among decent 
people. We do not want them. 
Tell them to attend to their own 
affairs and let our business alone. 
Tell them to go back where they 
came from, we do not want them 
among decent people. These are 
my feelings. That's saying a pretty 
hard word. It is such a word, 
though, as suits such people, for there 
is no decent word that's appropriate 
for such contemptible beings. 

Be true to one another, respect 
another's reputation. And then, 
you elders, treat one another as 
gentlemen with courtesy and kind- 
ness. And you ladies treat one 
another as ladies, and, old gentle- 
men, treat ladies as ladies, ana you, 
old ladies, treat the gentlemen as 
gentlemen. 

I feel to tell a little story about 
Bishop Hunter. Most of you know 
Dr. Sprague. He was sent by 
President Young t© see brother 
Hunter, when on the frontier many 
years ago. The doctor had a squeaky 
kind of a voice. He says (imitating 
the doctor), " Does Brother Hunter 
live here 1 Bishop Hunter replied 
(the speaker imitating the Bishop's 
voice), " My name is Hunter." Doc- 
tor Sprague : ** President Young has 
sent me to see if you were sick, and 
if so he waited me to administer to 
you." Bishop Hunter: "Physician 
heal thyself." Doctor Sprague : 
Well, sir, I feel just like two clap 
boards stucktogether." Then he say^ 
" Is this your old woman, Brother 



120 JOURNAL OF raSCOURS£S. 

Hunter.'* Bishop Hunter: "This is your president and bishops should 
Mrs. Hunter. Mrs. Hunter is a , pray for the people. Treat one ano- 
lady, she is not an old woman, sir." ther with JnnHnftga and courtesy, 
When you meet with women, treat and let us all feel we are the sons 
them as ladies, and have everybody | and daughters of Grod, living our 
else do the same. We can afford to religion and obeying his command- 
treat everybody right, that is, every ; meuts, following the counsels of the 
decent body, but these sneaks we do i holy priesthood, and seek for the 
not want anything to do with — ^poor . blessings of Crod upon us and upon 
miserable beings who go around pre our posterity. Never mind what 
tending to do business, but whose . other people do. We will go on 
real purpose is to obtain information ; aud take a course in everything 
that they may inform upon you, to | calculated to promote the happiness 
whom ? To men who are as wicked, i of the human family, and Zion will 
treacherous, lascivious and degraded i grow and spread until the kingdoms 
as the devil in helL What for 1 1 of this world become the kingdoms 
To destroy you. Will you receive t of our Lord and his Christ, and the 
such misei-able sneaks in your midst? laws that God has introduced will 
Tell them to go ahont their business. : prevail and his will be done upon 
Let us live our religion, keep the the earth as it is done in heaven, 
commandments of God, pursue a and every creature be heard to say, 
right course, and God will bless us. *' Blessing and honor and glory and 
I ask God the etenial Father to bless power be unto him that sitteth upon 
you and lead you in the paths of the throne and unto the Lamb for 
life. I say to you, respect the conn- ever and ever," and we will join in 
sels of those over you ; Brother . the universal chorus. God help us 
Smoot as your president ; listen to to be faithful in the name of Jesus 
him, listen to • the counsels of the ' Christ. Amen, 
bishop and pray for him. And then , 



NO MAN CAN BUILD, ETC. 



121 



DISCOUESE BY ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF, 

Delivered In The Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, 

June 6th, 1880. 



(Repoi'ted by John Irvine.) 



NO man can build up the church of CHRIST WITHOUT THE PRIEST- 
HOOD — RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PRIESTHOOD — CHRIST COMING IN THIS 
GENERATION — GREAT CHANGES AND JUDGMENTS APPROACHING — 
EXHORTATION TO RIGHTEOUSNESS. 



I have a desire to be heard in 
what I say to this assembly. I 
know the difficulties there are in 
speaking here. It requires not only 
attention, but quietude among the 
people. 

I feel disposed to read a few verses 
from the good old book the Bible — 
some of the sayings of Isaiah and 
Ezekiel. [The speaker then read 
from the 12th chapter of Ezekiel, 
from the 2 1st to the end of the chap- 
ter.] I have (the speaker continued) 
a few reflections upon my mind that 
I would like to lay before the Latter- 
day Saints, especially those who 
bear the holy priesthood. Among 
the lessons which we are learning 
in our day and time is this one truth : 
that we all of us need the spirit of 
revelation in order that we may 
teach mankind of the things of God. 
I do not believe myself there ever 
was a man lived in the flesh on the 
earth, in any day or age of the 
world, no matter what his position, 
calling, name, or age might be — I do 
not believe any man ever had the 
power to do the work of God, to 
build up his kingdom or to edify 
the souls of men, without inspiration 
and revelation ; for the Lord has 
never called any man in any age of 



the world to do any of this kind of 
work, whether to preach the Gospel, 
to prophesy, or to declare the word 
of the Lord to the inhabitants of the 
earth, or t© administer in any ordi- 
nance in any temple or in any 
tabernacle, without the holy priest- 
hood. TJiere are no ordinances 
acceptable in the sight of God of 
any force after death or in the eter- 
nal worlds except those ordinances 
that are performed b)'* men bearing 
the holy priesthood. Our 

heavenly Father himself 

has officiated by this principle in the 
creation of all worlds, in the redemp- 
tion of all worlds, and in all the 
the work which lie has performed ; 
it has all been done by the power of 
the Godhead and the holy priest- 
hood, which is without beginning of 
days or end of years. This priest- 
hood has power with the heavens. 
It has association with the heavens. 
The heavens are connected with this 
priesthood, let it rest upon the 
shoulders or head of any man, 
whether it be Jesus Christ, or those 
fishermen, or the ancient patriarchs 
or 2>rophets or Joseph Smith, or any 
other man who is called of God as 
was Aaron, by revelation, and pro- 
phecy to bear record of the name of 



122 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



God in any age of the world. There- 
fore, I occupy the same position my- 
self. I know I need the Spirit of 
God. I know you do. I know any 
man does who rises on this stand, 
and attempts to teach the people. 
You give a man the inspiration of 
Almighty God and the eternal 
truths of heaven and he can instruct 
and edify the children of men upon 
the principles of life and salvation ; 
without this he cannot do it. And 
in order to present to my brethren 
and sisters and friends the subject 
that I have on my mind, I will just 
refer a little further to some words 
of the Lord to the Prophet Ezekiel, 

erhe speaker again referred to the 
ook of Ezekiel, and quoted from 
the 9th, 14th and 33rd chapters, all 
of parts quoted having reference to 
the dealings of God with the wicked.] 
Continuing, Elder Woodruff said : 
Now, having quoted all these 
passages of Scripture, I want to say 
to my brethren the apostles, the 
high priests, the seventies, the elders 
of Israel, who bear the holy priest- 
hood, upon whose shoulders the God 
©f heaven, in this day and genera- 
tion has placed the responsibility of 
the Melchesidec and Aaronic priest- 
hood ; has placed the responsibility 
of this great and last dispensa- 
tion, the fulness of times, and 
the building up of the great kingdom 
of God which Daniel saw by revela- 
tion, vision and inspiration in his 
day and generation as proclaimed by 
all the prophets and apostles who 
have written in this book, in the 
stick of Judah as well as in the 
stick of Joseph and other revelations 
given to us through the mouth of 
the prophets and apostles in our day 
and generation — I want to ask in 
the face of all this — and 1 take it 
home to myself — what position are 
we in before high heaven, before 
God the Father, before his Son Jesus 



Christ, before the heavenly hosts, 
before all justified spirits aade per- 
fect from the creation of the world 
to this day? What condition are 
we in as the servants of the living 
God, men holding the holy priest- 
hood into whose hands the God ©f 
Israel has given this kingdom. Are 
we disseminating the mighty flood 
of revelation and prophecy in these 
records and these books which are 
now to rest upon the generation as 
in the days of Noah and Lot. In 
this respect are we justified in the 
sight of God, in the sight of heaven, 
in the sight of angels, and in the 
sight of men] Can we fold our 
arms in peace and cry "all is peace 
in Zion," when, so far as we have 
the power of the priesthood resting 
upon us, we can see the condition of 
the world? Can we imagine that 
our garments will be clean without 
lifting our voice before our fellow- 
men and warning them of the things 
that are at their doors] No, we 
cannot. There never was a set of 
men since God made the world 
under a stronger responsibility to 
warn this generation, to lift up our 
voices long and loud, day and night 
so far as we have the opportunity 
and declare the words of God unto 
this generation. We are required 
to do this. This is our calling. It 
is our duty. It is our business. 
We have had to perform this work 
for the last 60 years of our lives. 
When the Lord called Joseph Smith 
to lay the foundation of the Church 
he called him in fulfilment of many 
revelations given in other dispensa- 
tions to men. He was preserved by 
the hand of God to come forth in 
the last days, even in the dispensa- 
tion of the fulness of times. He 
was a prophet of the living God. 
He was a prophet, seer and revela- 
tor. The Lord called upon him to 
do the work for which he was 



KO MAN CAN BUILD, ETC. 



1^ 



ordained before the foundation of 
this world. He did all that was 
required of him, and he was sur- 
rounded with thousands of men who 
were acquainted with his life, and 
with the Spirit and power of God 
which rested upon him, and who 
sustained him in life and in death. 
We know he was a prophet of God, 
and we know he brougnt forth the 
istick of Joseph, the Book of Mormon, 
which was given unto him by the 
angel of God. This Church and 
kingdom has been organized by the 
command of God and by the revela- 
tions of heaven. It has continued 
to grow and increase, and has been 
upheld by the Lord Almighty, from 
its organization until the present 
hour. And when I kok at this 
Tabernacle and think of the words 
of the prophet Isaiah, "that the 
mountain of the Lord's house shall 
be established in the tops of the 
mountains ;" when I look at these 
everlasting hills and the land given 
by promise to Father Jacob and his 
posterity ; when I see this barren 
desert peopled by 150,000 Saints of 
the living God who have been 
gathered from nearly every nation 
under heaven through the proclam- 
ation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ 
— what can I say about it ] Can I 
say it is a dream 1 Can I say that 
it is all a vision ? Can I say that 
this work is of man and not of Godi 
Can I say these are revelations and 
prophecies which belong to some 
other generation 1 I tell you no. 
This is the kingdom of God. Here 
are the Saints of God. These moun 
tains are being filled with the 
Latter-day Saints from every nation 
under heaven, and with these things 
before me I know that it is my duty 
to preach the Gospel, to warn Saints 
and sinners wherever I have the 
opportunity. The Lord told Joseph 
Smith that he would prove us in all 



things, whether we would abide in 
his covenant even unto death, 
that we might be found worthy. 
The prophet sealed his testimony 
with his blood. That testimony is 
in force upon all the world and has 
been from the day of his death. 
Not one word of the Lord shall 
pass away unfulfilled. The unbelief 
in this generation will make no 
difference with regard to the build- 
ing up of the kingdom of God. As 
it was in the days of Noah so shall 
also the coming of the S©n of Man 
be. Therefore, I desire to ask my 
brethren, the elders of Israel — ^and I 
ask myself at the same time — do we 
understand our position before the 
Lord 1 ' Ezekiel has passed away. 
He is in the spirit world. He has 
received his resurrected body and 
stands at the right hand of God 
with other prophets and apostles 
who lived in days gone by. They 
had their day and generation. All 
these patriarchs and prophets and 
apostles had a time to prophesy, to 
preach, to labor, and to administer 
in the ordinances of life and salva- 
tion. Now, in this last dispensation, 
ye elders of Israel, this work has 
been put into your hands. . There- 
fore what shall we say, and what 
shall we do 1 Are we acting as 
watchmen upon the walls of Zion 1 
If we are, are we justified in closing 
our mouths, in closing our ears, or 
in setting our hearts upon anything 
else excepting the building up of the 
kingdom of Godi I do not think 
we are. In my view our responsi- 
bility is very great. We should 
live our religion. We should prac- 
tise ourselves what we preach. We 
should treasure up the words of life. 
We should search the records of 
divine truth. We should seek to 
comprehend the day and age in 
which we live. This is the way I 
look upon our situation to-day. I 



12i 



JoUilNAL OF DISCOUUSES. 



do not look upon the revelations 
recorded in theoe books, touching 
tke dispensation of the fulness of 
times, as something that will pass 
away unfulfilled. We live in a 
generation when great changes are 
about to take place. We live in a 
time when darkness covers the whole 
earth and gross darkness the people. 
The world are a great way from the 
truth. Infidelity overwhelms the 
earth, in fact it is a hard matter to- 
day to get either priest or people, 
sect or party, of any name or deno- 
mination under heaven to believe in 
the literal fulfillment of the Bible, 
as translated in the days of King 
James, which contains the revela- 
tions given from the days of Father 
Adam down to our own time, and 
which point out to us the signs of 
heaven and earth indicating the 
coming of the Son of Man. We live 
in the generation itself when Jesus 
Christ will come in the clouds of 
heaven with power and great glory. 
We live in the generation when the 
Gospel of Jesus Christ has been 
revealed in its fulness to the Gentiles, 
and when the Gospel of Christ will 
go to the House of Israel, to the 
descendants of Lehi, in fulfilment of 
that which is recorded in their 
records in the 9th, 10th and 11th 
chapters of the last book of Nephi. 
These prophets spake by the power 
of God and the inspiration of the 
Holy Ghost, and as the apostle says, 
"!No prophecy of the Scripture is of 
any private interpretation. For the 
prophecy came not in old time by 
the will of man ; but holy men of 
God spake as they were moved by 
the Holy Ghost." I feel therefore 
to say to ray brethren who bear the 
holy priesthood, and I say it to my- 
self and to all — I do not think we 
have much time to lie down and 
slumber.. We have no time to specu- 
late in tiying to get rich in try- 



ing to accumulate gold and silver. 
What we have got to do is to build 
up the kingdom of God. As 
apostles, high priests, elders, seventies 
and the lesser priesthood, we are 
bound together by this new and 
everlasting Gospel and covenant; we 
are called to perform the great and 
mighty work of building up Zion, of 
building temples wherein we may 
labor for the living and the dead, 
and we should live in that way and 
manner that we may be governed 
and controlled at all times by the 
Holy Spirit. 

I know very well how the world 
look at these things. As I said be- 
fore, the wurld is far from the Lord. 
We ourselves are too far from the 
Lord as a people. We ought to 
draw near to the Lord, and labor to 
obtain the Holy Spirit, so that when 
we read the revelations of God we 
may read them by the same Spirit 
by which they were given. Then 
we can understand their purport 
when given to the children of men. 

The Lord has said by the mouth 
of the Prophet Isaiah, that he would 
proceed to do a marvelous work and 
a wonder ; and when I look at the 
rise and progress of this Church, 
when I behold the great work the 
Lord has performed, it was a marvel- 
ous work and a wonder indeed. 
There never has been, in my view, 
any generation in which the same 
amount of prophecies and important 
events have to be fulfilled as in the 
generation in which we live. Joseph 
Smith, an illiterate boy, was raised 
up by the power of God. His 
teachers were the angels of heaven. 
He was administered unto by the 
Son of God. He received the 
Aaronic priesthood of John the 
Baptist, who was beheaded for the 
testimony of Jesus Christ. He 
received the apostleship and Melchi- 
zedek Priesthood under the hands of 



NO MAN CAN BUILD, ETC. 



125 



Peter, James and John, who were 
also put to death for the word and 
testimony of Jesus Christ. He made 
use of these ordinances by the com- 
mandment of God. He organized 
the Church and kingdom of God ; 
he did that which all the wisdom of 
the sectarian world could never 
have comprehended. He established 
the only church on the face of the 
earth according to the ancient order 
of the Church of Jesus Christ, with 
apostles, prophets, teachers, gifts, 
helps, governments, baptism for the 
remission of sins, the laying of hands 
for the reception of the Holy Ghost 
— an organization which has not ! 
existed on the earth from the d&y 
the ancient apostles were put to 
death, and the holy priesthood taken 
from the earth, until the present. 
This Church has continued to rise. 
It is the only true church upon the 
face of the whole earth. Its history 
is before the world. It has con- 
tinued to grow and increase from the 
day it was organized until the pres- 
ent time. This is the Zion of God. 
We see an embryo of it in these 
valleys of the mountains, and it is 
designed by the Most High God to 
stand on the earth in power and 
glory and dominion, as the prophets 
of God saw it in their day and genera- 
tion. This is the kingdom that 
Daniel saw, and it will continue to 
roll forth until it fills the whole 
earth. These are eternal truths, 
whether the world believe or dis- 
believe them, it matters not, the 
truths cannot be made of non-effect. 
This is certainly a strange work and 
a wonder. There has been every 
exertion made to stay it. Armies 
have been sent forth to destroy this 
people ; but we have been upheld 
and sustained by the hand of the 
Lord unto to-day. 

And now I desire to bear my tes- 
timony. I have no fears, my brethren 



and sisters — and I say the same to 
our nation, to all kings, queens, 
emperors, presidents and govern- 
ments of this world — I have no fears 
with regard to " Mormonism," and 
and the ultimate triumph of the 
kingdom of God ; because the Lord 
Almighty has said that the nation 
and kingdom that will not serve him 
shall perish and be utterly wasted 
away. If this had not been the 
Zion of God it would not have stood 
so long as it has done. This king- 
dom, however, has not been organ- 
ized by the power of man but by the 
power of God, and whatever God 
undertakes to do he will carry out. 
I have therefore no fear of this king- 
dom. It was ordained to come forth 
before the world was made; and the 
Lord never undertook a dispensation 
of this kind without due preparation 
before he commenced. He had 
material in the spirit world who 
would in time be raised up to carry 
on this kingdom. I have no fears 
about this work being accomplished, 
but I have fears about many of the 
Latter-day Saints ; because if we 
have the holy priesthood upon our 
heads and do not live our religion, 
of all men we are under the greatest 
condemnation. We have baptized a 
great many into this Church and 
kingdom — not many, certainly, 
when eompared to the twelve hun- 
dred million inhabitants of the earth. 
— ^but a great many have apostatized. 
What ! Latter-day Saints aposta- 
tize 1 Yes. I tell you people will 
apostatize who have received the'holy 
priesthood and Gospel of Jesus 
Christ, if they do not honor God, if 
they do not keep his commandments, 
obey his laws and humble them- 
selves before the Lord ; they are in 
danger every day of their lives. 
Look at the number of devils we 
have, round about us ! We have I 
should say, one hundred to every 



126 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



man, woman and child. One third 
part of the heavenly host was cast 
down to the earth with Lucifer, son 
of the morning, to war against us — 
which I suppose will number one 
hundred million devils — and they 
labor to overthrow all the Saints and 
the kingdom of God. They even 
tried to overthrow Jesus Christ ; 
they overthrew Judas, and they 
have succeeded in overthrowing a 
good many Latter-day Saints, who 
had a name and standing among us, 
who undertook to build themselves 
up instead of the Kingdom of God. 
and when men having this priesthood 
— I do not care whether it was in 
the days of Adam, in the days of 
Moses, in the days of Joseph Smith, 
or in the days of Brigham Young, I 
care not in what day they lived — if 
they bore this priesthood and under- 
took to use it for any other purpose 
th^n the building up of the kingdom 
of God, then amen to the power and 
priesthood of such men. 

The Lord will have a people to 
carry on his purposes who will obey 
and serve him. He has a good many 
people in this day and age of the 
world, who will be faithful unto 
death, whether called to seal their 
testimony with their blood or not. 
He has a people who will maintain 
his work while they are here. But 
here is the danger, ye Latter-day 
Saints, and the Savior saw it very 
plainly, and has left it on record in the 
earth : He compared the kingdom of 
God unto ten virgins, which took 
their lamps and went forth to meet 
the bridegroom. " And five of them 
were wise and five were foolish. 
They that were foolish took their 
lamps and took no oil with them ; 
But the wise took oil in their vessels 
with their lamps. While the bride- 
groom tarried, they all slumbered 
and slept. And at midnight there 
was a cry made, Behold the bride- 



^oom cometh ; go ye out to meet 
him. Then all those virgins arose 
and trimmed their lamps. And the 
foolish said unto the wise. Give us 
of your oil ; for our lamps are gone 
out But the wise answered saying, 
Not so ; lest there be not enough for 
us and you ; but go ye rather to them 
that sell, and buy for yourselves. 
And while they went to buy, the 
bridegroom came, and they that were 
ready went in with him to the mar- 
riage ; and the door was shut. 
Afterwards came also the other 
virgins, saying. Lord, Lord, open to 
us. But he answered and said. 
Verily I say unto you, I know you 
not." Now, those who have got oil 
in their lamps, are men who live 
their religion, pay their tithing, pay 
their debts, keep the commandments 
of God, and do not blaspheme his 
name ; men and women who will 
not sell their birthright tor a mess 
a pottage or for a little gold or silver; 
these are those that will be valiant 
in the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

This is the way I feel to-day. I 
feel to warn my brethren and sisters, 
the Latter-day Saints, to live their 
religion, to trim their lamps, because 
as the Lord lives, his word will be 
fulfilled. The coming of Jesus is 
nigh at the door. These judgments 
that I have read will come to pass, 
and though Brigham, Joseph, Noah, 
Daniel and Job, or anybody else 
were in the land, they could not 
do more than deliver their own souls 
by their righteousness. The man 
that is righteous cannot save the 
wicked. We have got to live our own 
righteousness, that is keep the com- 
mandments of God. 

We are approaching changes. 
There are judgments at our dooh 
There are judgments at the door of 
this nation, and at the door of G^reat 
Babylon. How do the world feel 
to-day T How does our nation feel 1 



NO MAN CAN BUILD, ETC. 



127 



Something similar to Belshazzar, the 
king. On the night that he drank 
out of the golden and silver vessels, 
with his princes and his wives, he 
thought, " Well. I made this coun- 
try. I made this city. I am the 
god of this country ;" but when the 
Lord Almighty manifested his dis- 
pleasure by the writing on the wall, 
the scene was changed. Hia king- 
dom was broken up and given to the 
Medes and Persians. His greatness, 
bis gold and silver did not save him. 
In the same way the Lord in ancient 
days swept away great cities when 
they were fripened in iniquity. 
Jerusalem was overthrown in fulfil- 
ment of the words of the Lord. 
Jeremiah and Isaiah prophesied what 
would come to pass, and it was ful- 
filled to the very letter. So I say 
to the Gentiles, so I say to the 
Latter-day Saints. What the Lord 
has spoken concerning our nation, 
ana concerning the nations of the 
earth, notwithstanding that the 
unbelief of the world may be great, 
notwithstanding that they may 
reject the word of God and seek to 
put the servants of God to death — 
will all be fulfilled. War, pestilence, 
famine, earthquakes and storms 
await this generation. These calami- 
ties will overtake the world as God 
lives, and no power can prevent 
them. Therefore I say to the elders 
of Israel, be faithful. We have had 
the priesthood given to us, and if we 
fail to use it right, we shall be 
brought under condemnation. 
Therefore, let us round up our 
shoulders and bear off the kingdom. 
Let us labor to obtain the Holy 
Spirit — and power of the Gospel 
of Jesus Christ — which has been put 
iatp our hands, and inasmuch as we 
do this, the blessing of God will 



attend our efforts. 

We have been here a number of 
years. We have preached the Gospel 
and labored to build up this king- 
dom. Many have been associated 
with this Church almost from the 
beginning. Many have been taken 
away. Joseph and Hyrum sealed 
their testimony with their blood. 
Many have passed to the other side 
of the vail, and many others of us 
will soon follow them ; but I do not 
want when I get there to have it 
said, ** When you were in the flesh 
you had the priesthood, you liad the 
power to rebuke sin, but you wbre 
not man enough to chastise the 
ungodly." Neither do I want my 
relatives to rise up and say "You had 
the power to do a work for the 
redemption of the dead, but you 
have neglected these things." I do 
not want these things to rise up 
against me. As for gold and silver, 
they are of very little account com- 
pared Ivith eternal life. When we 
die we must leave the riches of this 
world behind. We were born naked 
and we will go out of the world in 
the same condition. We cannot 
take with us houses, gold, silver, or 
any of this world's goods. We will 
even leave our tabernacles for some- 
body to bury. Our spirits must 
appear in the presence of God, and 
there receive our reward for the 
deeds done in the body. 

Therefore, I pray God my heaven- 
ly Father to enable us to live our 
religion, to labor for light and truth 
that we may not work in the dark; 
to live nearer and nearer the Lord 
and be prepared for that which is to 
come, and eventually gain eternal 
life, is my prayer in the name of 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 






128 



JOURNAL OF DISOOURSBS. 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT, 
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, September 7th, 1879. 

(Reported by John Irvine.) 

ON THE BOOK OF MORMON — ^DESTINY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND 
THE SAINTS. 



It is with feelings of thanksgiving 
to my Father who is in heaven, that 
I stand before you this afternoon, 
after having been absent from this 
place for some nine months that are 
past. 

I suppose that the Latter-day 
Saints who are congregated here, 
understand the object of the mission 
which was given to me, to go to 
Great Britain, and there get the 
pages of the Book of Mormon, and 
the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, 
electrotyped, with double sets of 
plates, for the purpose of spreading 
forth copies of these works, among 
the inhabitants of the earth by hun- 
dreds of thousands. I therefore, 
feel very much pleased to have the 
privilege of bearing testimony to you, 
that I have, through the blessing of 
the Lord, been enabled to finish 
or complete the work that was given 
me to do, in relation to these two 
standard works of our j^Church. 

Had it not been for the Book of 
Mormon this territory would not be 
occupied by a people called the 
Latter-day Saints. That lies at the 
foundation of the work of the last 
days, in which we are engaged. All 
of you are acquainted, if you have 
endeavored to exercise your judg- 
ment and your capacities as intelli- 
gent beings, with the nature of that 



book. If you are not acquainted 
with it you certainly ought to be. 
We all ought to inform ourselves 
concerning every principle that is 
contained in that record. We ought 
to make ourselves very familiar also, 
with the Book that is called the 
Book of Doctrine and Covenants, 
given by divine revelation in the 
generation in which we are per- 
mitted to live. These two books, we 
as a people, esteem to be as sacred 
as any other revelations which were 
ever given to the human family. 
We look upon the Book of Mormon 
as a very precious record, — ^a 
precious blessing to the people who 
live in this dispensation, a divine 
work, — ^a divine revelation. It has 
now been before the world almost 
to years, being published over 49 
years ; and the whole world, if they 
had seen proper to inform them- 
selves, concerning the nature of the 
work, could have been blessed with 
the privilege. It is a work which 
the Lord our God has commenced 
by his own power. The book was 
not written by the wisdom of man, 
by the inspiration of man, but it was 
written by the commandment of the 
Most High God. It was written as 
revealed to a young man, the 
founder of this Church, under the 
divine influence of the Holy Spirit. 



ON THE BOOK OF HORHON, ETC. 



m 



This young man being inspired of 
God, and having revelations 
granted to him from heaven, had 
the privilege of bringing forth 
this sacred record to this gene- 
ration. The record was trans- 
lated, as the Latter-day Saints under- 
stand, and as the world generally 
have been informed, by revelation, 
hy the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, 
through the aid of an instrument that 
was used anciently and called the 
Urim and Thummim. The Lord 
did not, in revealing this work to 
us, require us to receive it blindly 
and enthusiastically, but to receive 
it on good, substantial, sound evi- 
dence, such as we cannot controvert, 
such as we cannot contradict — evi- 
dence that no reasonable person, 
having the common reasoning facul- 
ties of man, can consistently reject. 
The Lord did not raise up this 
Church — did not commence its 
foundation, until he revealed this 
Book ; and in the revelation of this 
Book, he fulfilled many predictions, 
made in ancient days, by the mouth 
of the Jewish prophets, and also the 
apostles that succeeded the Jewish 
prophets. They spake as they were 
moved upon by Sie Holy Ghost; 
and they predicted that such a work 
would come forth in the latter times ; 
and if this is not the work, as the 
world say it is not, then we are to 
look forward to the day when a 
similar work will be brought forth 
by the power of Almighty God ; 
for the events predicted by the mouth 
of the prophets, recorded in . the 
Jewish Bible, never can be fulfilled, 
never can be brought to pass, unless 
a work of a |(imilar description, to 
the one that has been presented to 
the people ot the nineteenth century 
shall come forth. 

The Book of Mormon, we say* is 
just. as sac;red as the Bible — ^the Old' 
aipd )Sew Testanients. We cannot 

m 9. 



I see any reason why we should ex- 
clude all other books from the com- 
piled books of the Jewish Bible. We 
have nothing in the compiled woAs 
of the Bible (King James' transla- 
tion), we have no declarations in this 
Book, that the canon of Scripture 
should be full at the close of the 
fourth century of the Christian era. 
We have no declarations in this 
Book, that about 400 years after 
Christ there should be a church or 
people on the earth that should 
collect together manuscript books 
and call them the Bible, and that 
rhat should be a complete revelation 
of God*s will ; or that there were no 
other sacred books in existence, only 
what the Catholic church, at the 
close of the fourth century, happen- 
ed to collect together. 

We believe that God is the God 
of all nations, as well as the God of 
the Jews. We believe that he did 
not confine his divine power and the 
inspiration of his Spirit to one little 
spot of our globe ; although he did 
work wonderfully, and in a marvel- 
ous manner, in the land of Palestine 
among the Jews, and did shew forth 
his power by raising up prophfets, 
and Jrevelators, and apostles, '.yet 
we cannot,' in otir views, limit th* 
Almighty, as' the Christian AiittAiis 
do, and say that h^ has never spoken 
to any other Vfeople. We ftan'riot, 
with the intelligence and light that 
God has given to us, say thalHlie 
Bible is the only revelation of'Qfad 
to misin. We believe that he ttim^ 
all nations, and all th^'iithsllbita'&ts 
of the 'earth. 'We bfefifere^'tliali4i« 
had' as inubh l^egard for the ten 
tribes, iafter'they revolted frO|n;i^e 
house of Jiidah aiids^^^ecf IJii^. 
selves into a'^atstinct niil!ton«-^WF-' 
they ^dUkht ; righte^ttsAfess,^ Wla» 
had for the^JdWmbdWdtin'iW 
salem, aiid itt the Ifi^hlty' of ifhat 
greit'cajiitaldlty. Ihd^fed th^ f^rd 



130 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 






has shown to us that he was no 
respecter ©f persons. So far as the 
ten tribes were concerned, he had 
revealed himself to them. Some of 
the greatest prophets that were 
raised up in days of old, before the 
coming of the Messiah, were pro- 
phets that lived among the ten 
tribes, who were not Jews : not 
included in the house of Judah, or 
the two years and a half. For 
instance, Elijah, who had such great 
power given him from God, that he 
could call upon His name and the 
heavens, would be shut up so that 
there would be no rain fall upon the 
€arth, according to his prayer, for 
three and a half years. A man with 
such faith, that after three and a 
half years of great famine, he prayed 
for the Lord to send rain, and rain 
was given immediately. A man 
with such power that when a captain 
of fifty with his fifty came to take 
him — who mockingly called him a 
man of God — he said to the captain, 
" If I. be a man of God, let fire come 
down from heaven and consume thee 
and thy fifty," and it was done, 
according to his word. He was not 
a Jewish prophet ; he was a prophet 
of the ten tribes. A man also that 
had such great faith in God, that he 
was taken away from the earth, in 
a chariot of fire, and wafted to the 
abodes of immortaUty, among the 
immortal beings. Here then was a 

{rophet raised up among another 
ranch of the house of Israel Here 
was also Elisha, another prophet, not 
of the Jews but of the ten tribes. 
Were not their revelations just as 
sacred as the revelations of the pro- 
phets of Judah) They certainly 
.^ere ;, and were incorporated in the 
Jowidi Bible. "Were there any other 
branches of Israel besides those ten 
tribes, who dwelt in the northern 
purts of the Land of Palestine, and 
thft, Je^s t Yes, we read in rarious 



parts of this Bible, that many of the 
house of Israel were taken away 
from the main body who dwelt in 
Palestine, and scattered to the four 
quarters of the earth. Did God for- 
get them and their generations after 
them, after they were thus scattered? 
I think not. He did not forget 
them ; and in the days of their 
righteousness, he revealed himselt to 
them and to his prophets. And this 
great and choice American continent 
was once peopled by the seed of 
Israel, not the ten tribes or Jewish 
nation especially, but a small rem- 
nant of one tribe, namely the des- 
cendants of Joseph who was carried 
into Egypt. These American In- 
dians scattered over this great conti- 
nent of ours, are the literal descend- 
ants of the chosen seed. Now, do 
you suppose that the Almighty, who 
desires the salvation of the children 
of men, would take a company, how- 
ever great or small it might be, and 
locate them upon such a great and 
vast continent as ours, and leave 
them without any guidance by reve- 
lation from him ) — Cleave them from 
generation to generation without 
prophets and without revelatorsl 
Such an event is inconsistent to my 
mind. God, who is no respecter of 
persons, who loves all people of all 
nations, of all kindreds and tongues, 
surely would not thus lead away the 
chosen seed, and plant them upon 
such a vast continent as ours and 
obscure or withdraw himself, leaving 
them in total ignorance, without any 
revelation from heaven. What is 
the Book of Mormon 1 It is their 
record, their Bible, their revelations, 
their predictions, , their doctrines, 
their manifestations and visions, and 
their history, the same as the Bible 
is the record and history of the Jews. 
Why then should it be thomgki 
inconsistent with the eharacter •£ 
God that he should bring^^fortk 



ON THE BOOK OF MORMON, ETC. 



131 



records, so sacred, so great, so 
important to join with the testimony 
of the Jewish record that the 
nations of the last days might have 
the testimony of two hemispheres 
that God is the same God, that his 
doctrines are everlasting, the same 
unchangeable Grospel and plan of 
salvation, and that his people Israel 
were as precious to him on the 
western hemisphere as they were on 
the eastern, and that the great 
atonement which we are now cele- 
brating in this house, should not be 
shut out from the minds of the peo- 
ple in the western hemisphere ? Is 
it consistent that this should be the 
case 1 There is not a man living, 
who will free himself from the tra- 
ditions of false doctrines that have 
prevailed for many generations, but 
what will say it is godlike, it is con- 
sistent with the character of the 
Almighty to reveal himself to the 
western hemisphere as well as to the 
great eastern hemisphere, and if he 
did this would there be anything 
inconsistent that these records should 
be brought to light in the last daysl 
Is God limited in his power 1 I ap- 
peal to the whole of Christendom, 
do we as Christians believe in the 
Lord Jesus Christ and in his Father, 
as being limited in their power, and 
that people should be left without 
divine knowledge, without informa- 
tion from heaven, when it is so 
easy for them to reveal 1 Is not the 
knowledge of God to cover the earth, 
according to the prediction of Isaiah 
the prophet, as the waters cover 
the great deep, before the end shall 
come 1 Are not many, in the last 
days, to run to and fro, and know- 
ledge be increased, and when I speak 
of knowledge I mean that know- 
ledge which is of God, the know- 
ledge revealed from heaven, concern- 
ing the great plan of salvation. It 
is reasonable, it is consistent, it is in 



accordance with the Jewish Bible, 
that God should reveal himself and 
the plan of salvation to the people of 
the latter days, that the knowledge 
of God may truly cover the earth as 
the waters cover the great deep. 
In revealing this additional know- 
ledge, will it do any harm? Is 
there any church on the face of the 
whole earth that is in the least 
degree harmed by the additional 
revelations sent from heaven ? I 
think not. What harm is there in 
the Lord's making manifest to the 
people in this western hemisphere, 
that the same Gospel was preached 
to the inhabitants of this land as 
was preached to the Jews and the 
people of the eastern continent in 
ancient daysl Who is harmed 
among all the religious denomina- 
tions of Christendom, the four hun- 
dred millions of Christians, so called, 
by the addition of further revelation 1 
Did it harm any of the branches of 
the church that were anciently 
Christian, after they had the Book 
of Matthew revealed to them, to be 
permitted to have a testimony from 
another inspired man, called the 
Book of Mark ? I think there was 
no harm in Mark's writing hit 
Gospel, after Matthew had written 
his. It did no harm to the ancient 
Christians that Luke should write 
his testimony of the Gospel ; that 
John should write his, that John 
should be permitted to receive a 
great prophecy and revelation on the 
isle of Patmos. Did that close 
revelation from God ] No, because 
we find that the Lord inspired John 
to write his testimony of the Gospel, 
showing that the canon of Scripture 
was not closed up when John left Pat- 
mos. What harm i s there for another 
nation to know about the Prophet Mo- 
ses, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the 
atonement that he made by his own 
suffering and death % Would it nol 



132 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



be a privilege and bles&ing for the 
ancieut inhabitants of America to 
be informed concerning the only 
•way by which they could be saved 
. in the kingdom of God ] The Book 
of Mormon records th« fact that 
Jesus did appear on this American 
continent, after his resurrection 
from the dead ; that he did admini- 
ster in person, in his immortal body, 
after his resurrection, for several 
days, in the midst of this remnant 
.pf Israel, the forefathers of these 
American Indians. What Gospel 
did he teach] Did he teach one 
Gospel in Asia and another in 
ancient America 1 No. If the same 
Gospel then is taught, who is 
harmed among the four hundred 
millions of Christians, by having the 
infonnation concerning it ] It seems 
to me as if I could imagine the feel- 
ing of the strangers that may be 
present this afternoon. I can 
imagine some one saying, " Oh, it 
would be a very beautiful theory, if 
v*re could only believe it ; if we only 
had testim«ny sufl&cient to believe 
what you Latter-day Saints declare, 
that the Book of Mormon is actually 
' a divine revelation of the Gospel as 
u it was preached in ancient America ; 
if we knew this fact we could not 
denounce it as something that was 
calculated in its nature to destroy 
, . the peace and happiness ot Christen- 
. dom, but we should consider it a 
great blessing to the human family 
(if we only had the evidence and tes- 
timony that the facts are as you 
-iatate them." Now I expect these 
. thoughts are running through the 

• rininds of some individuals here. 
Well, now> what must be the 
evidence % , What would you 

5 naturally suppose would be the kind 
of evideniee that the Lord Almighty 

* would give to substantiate the 
divinity, of a book that id almost 
two-thirds as voluminous as the 



Jewish Bible] Can you imagiae- 
any testimony that ought to be given 
to convince the children of men"? 
" Well," says one, " if we could only 
have it confirmed by the ministration 
of angels, that would be an e\'idence, 
a great evidence or testimony."" 
The inhabitants of this generation, 
for nearly fifty years, have had the 
testimony of three men, besides the 
boy that translated the Book of 
Mormon — the testimony of three 
witnesses. The Lord would not 
suffer his Church to be organized, 
would not suffer his servants to build 
up this kingdom on the earth — this 
ecclesiastical kingdom, until he gave 
sufficient evidence uuto three chosen 
witnesses, as well as the boy that 
translated the work. Their testi- 
mony is ^iven, in connection with 
the book, and there is no man living 
that can contradict their testimony 
or can prove it to be untrue. The 
witnesses themselves have never 
denied their testimony ; and not 
onl}'- three other witnesses who saw 
the angel, heard the words of his 
mouth, saw the glory of his coun- 
tenance, and saw the plates — the 
original plates from which the !3pok 
of Mormon was translated, but also 
eight other witnesses who saw tht^ 
plates, but did not see the angel ; 
they saw the plates at another time ; 
saw the engravings upon the plates, 
handled them with their hands, and 
have recorded their testimony. 
Hence we have the testimony of the 
young man that was called by the 
angel to translate and bring forth 
the book, and then the testimony of 
eleven other witnesses besides. In 
the mouth of two or three witnesses^ 
we are told in the Jewish record, 
every word shall be established. 
But God saw fit to give twelve 
witnesses before the Church of the 
Latter-day Saints ever had an exist- 
ence on this earth. That certainlj 



ON THE BOOK OF MORMON, ETC. 



133 



ought to be sufficient to begin the 
work Teith) to begin to enlighten 
tk&'minds of the i^ildren of men, 
ccMoerniii? -^sct God ^sa about to 
db*tifpon thfe ftcfift^'of tlie ^arkh: Bub 
aitS Ve confined to these twelve meri 
an^ their testimony 1 Are there no 
other means by* which we may for 
onrselves come to a knowledge that 
this work is divine 1 I will- tell you 
how the Lord has provided in a god- 
like manner, -just as we would 
naturally expedt he would do — that 
the children of mea, however weak, 
frail, and imperfect in their judg- 
ment, if they have the common 
sense and* common attainments that 
the children of men generally have, 
may not only have a faith concern- 
ing the truth of this work, founded 
on the evidence of others, but also 
a knowledge for themselves. And 
how is this 1 How can people get 
a real knowledge that this Book is 
divine 1 Says one : " I should like 
to embrace it, but then you are so 
unpopular. Still if I knew it to be 
true," perhaps some stranger may 
say in his heart, " if I knew that 
God was the author of it, I would 
n«t mind anything about the con- 
tumely, or anything about the 
unpopularity of the people called 
Latter-day Saints." There is a way 
to know whether this work be true, 
if you will follow the conditions. 
And what are the conditions that 
God has pointed out, by which we 
may receive a knowledffe now as 
well as they received a Knowledge 
in ancient times, concerning similar 
doctrines and principles 1 It is by 
obedience to the Gospel of the Son 
of Gk)d. The Lord, before he 
suffered this Church to be organized 
gave authority to his servants to 
preach the Gospel and to organize 
Ms kingdom on the earth in fulfil- 
ment of the ancient prophecies. In 
^hneotion with this authority, he 



gave them authority to administer 
the ordinances of the Gospel to those 
that would repent of their sins luuil 
believe on the Lord J^sqs Ohiiftltfl 
He'^^gave ihm^ not only pow;er' ahde 
authority t6 baptize — that -is ■ divined 
authority to baptize — ^for the remisH^j 
sion of sins, but also to lay their, 
hands upon the heads of baptized^ 
believers and pronounce upon them* 
the blessings of the Holy Ghost as 
they did in ancient days. This was- 
placing the people of this generation' 
in a condition to prove whether this 
work was divine or not. The elders 
were sent forth in the early rise of 
this Church, saying unto the people^ 
" If you will repent of your sins — 
if you will turn from everything that 
is evil, if you will with all your 
hearts enter into a covenant with 
the Almighty to obey the Lord of 
righteousness, to keep his command* 
ments, to do right all your future 
days, and will be baptized by the 
authority that God has given from 
heaven, and also be confirmed by 
the laying on of hands, God wiUl 
give you the Holy Ghost, and by 
this gift of the Holy Ghost yoti 
shall know that the Book of Mormon 
is a divine revelation, and that tins 
is the Church and the kingdom of 
the living God." Very many honest 
hearted people in the American 
Union, in the nation of Great Britain^ 
in the various nations of Europe, 
and upon the islands of the Se% 
have tested the truth of this c6m* 
mandment of God given unto 
his servant in the first rise and 
beginning of this Church, Did 
they receive the Holy- Ghost S 
They testify that they did. They 
say, that * by obeying that message 
winch you brought^ to us, which ydd 
testified that God had sent you t» 
preach, the promises you made tn 
us are fulfilled. You stated that w» 
should receive the Holy Ghoefei 



.''7 



134 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



We have received it because we have 
humbled ourselves before God. We 
have been baptized by you. You 
stated you held authority. We 
believed it from testimony that you 
gave us, that such was the case, but 
we did not know it. We went forth 
and acted upon our faith, and now 
we can testify we hrmv you are the 
servants of Ged ; for God has ful- 
filled the promise which he has given 
to us through your word." Thus 
scores of thousands have proved the 
divinity of this work. You marvel 
that this people are so well united. 
You marvel that we come out from 
the nations of the earth and 
assemble ourselves in one. You 
marvel what it is that prompts this 
people called Latter-day Saints to 
come from the lands of their fore- 
fathers, from the islands of the Sea, 
from distant nations, and assemble 
themselves here in this great basin 
of North America. It is not man 
that has accomplished this work. 
It is because you have received the 
Holy Ghost that you are here in 
these valleys. It is because God 
witnessed unto you in your own 
lands, before you started upon your 
journey that he had again spoken to 
the inhabitants of the earth as in 
ancient days. You there learned 
that this was his true Church, his 
true kingdom established upon the 
earth as he predicted by the mouth 
of his servants, and you felt anxious 
to be gathered with the rest of the 
Saints that had the same testimony 
with you. Hence you gather not 
only from choice, but by actual com- 
mandment. We do not gather here 
merely for the sake of being toge- 
ther, but it is because the same God 
who rsvealed the Book of Mormon 
liy his servant Joseph, the youth of 
whom I have spoken — that same 
boy received another revelations 
which is published in the Book of 



Doctrine and Covenants, which I 
now hold in my hand, commanding 
the Latter-day Saints to gather out 
of all nations of the earth, to this 
American continent. Hence yon 
came here because you had received 
the Holy Ghost. You have come 
here because you knew this work 
was true. You have come here that 
you might fulfil the commandment' 
which God gave near the time of the 
rise of this Church in relation to 
the gathering of his Saints from 
among all the nations and kingdoms 
of the earth. Has God fulfilled that 
which he spoke when we were but a 
little handful of people, not number- 
ing one hundred souls? He told 
us that his people should be 
gathered from all quarters of the 
earth into one place upon the face 
of this great continent. Has he ful- 
filled it ] The testimony is before 
the eyes not only of the Latter-day 
Saints, but the eyes of all people, 
nations and tongues, and among the 
most distant nations of the earth 
concerning the gathering of the peo- 
ple called Latter-day Saints. God 
has fulfilled his word — this word, 
which was given nearly fifty years 
ago, as to the gathering of his people, 
from the four quarters of the earth* 
Now this great work of the last days, 
never could be accomplished with- 
out this gathering together of the 
Saints. There are no other people 
fulfilling it. For instance, take the 
Roman Catholics ; they were not 
gathering from all parts of the earth. 
Take the Greek Church; they do 
not come out from the nations from 
which they receive their doctrine* 
Take all the Protestant denomina- 
tions, and who among them all are 
assembling themselves together in 
one % If they should issue a proclar 
mation by human wisdom and by 
human commandment, requiring 
their members to gather together. 



ON THE BOOK OF MORMON, ETC. 



135 



they could not accomplish it. Why] 
Because there is not enough unity 
amongst them ; the Holy Ghost has 
not been given to them in its ful- 
ness, as given to the anciiant Saints ; 
hence they could not gather the peo- 
ple together. But the Lord has 
done it through this people. And 
what will he yet do ] Permit me to 
prophecy, not in my own name nor 
by my own wisdom, but on the 
strength of that which God has 
revealed to this Church since the 
year 1830, and that also which is 
given in the Book of Mormon — I 
prophesy that this is only just the 
beginning, as it were of the great 
work of the gathering of the Latter- 
day Saints. 

[I would say that some of our 
friends that have called in this after- 
noon are obliged, in consequence of 
the cars leaving, to retire. May the 
Lord bless them, pour out his Spirit 
upon them, may he manifest the 
truth unto them that they may be 
be blessed in common with all those 
who keep the commandments of 
God.] 

The Lord our God has therefore 
fulfilled that which he spoke : and 
as I said this work, instead of being 
nearly accomplished, nearly fulfilled, 
and all things brought about accord- 
ing to the purposes of the Almighty, 
only the foundation, as it were, is 
now laid, and instead of being 
gathered in a little company of 
150,000, by and bye we shail be 
gathered in hundred of thousands 
and even millions. Now, do you 
believe it ? I not only believe it 
hut know it will come to pass just 
as much as a great many other 
things which have already been ful- 
filled since the promises were uttered 
and published in this book. I knew 
they would come to pass, for God 
has revealed these things to me, and 
given me a knowledge of them, and 



I also know concerning the future of 
this people, as also do a great * 
many of our brethren that have 
received testimonies . concerning 
these matters. Is God limited to 
this little narrow spot, called the ' 
great basin of North America 1 
Why, no. It is only for the present, 
for the time being that we dwell 
here. Where will we dwell in the 
future] What is our future destinyl 
It is not on the Sandwich Islands, it 
is not in New Zealand, it is not in 
Australia, it is not in any of the 
islands of the sea, but I will tell you 
the future destiny of this people in 
a very few words. Not many years 
hence — I do not say the number of 
years — ^you will look forth to the 
western counties of the State of 
Missouri, and to the eastern coun- 
ties of the State of Kansas, and in 
all that region round about you will 
see a thickly populated country, 
inhabited by a peaceful people, 
having their orchards, their fruit 
trees, their fields of grain, their 
beautiful houses and shade trees, 
their cities and towns and villages. 
And you may ask — Who are all 
these people ] And the answer will 
be — Latter-day Saints ! Where have 
they came from 1 They have come 
from the nations of the earth ! 
They have come from the mountains 
of Utah, from Arizona, from Idaho^ 
and from the tiiountainous territories 
of the North American Continent, 
they have come down here, and are 
quietly cultivating the lands of these 
States ! Now, this will all come to 
pass, just as sure to come to pass as 
there is a God that reigns in yonder 
heavens, and not many years hence 
either. Thus you see that for some 
time to come, our future destiny is 
not to build up this kingdom upon 
any of the islands of the sea, but to 
be located where God has decreed, 
by his own power that his people 



13G 



JOURNA.L OF DISCOURSES 



a^all dwell. " Oh, but," says one, 
"you have to get the land first" 
BiUt I would ask is there any break- 
iijg of the Constitution, — is there 
ai;^thing calculated to take away 
t^e rights of American citizenship 
by emigrants going from one part of 
this nation to another, peacefully 
agd quietly, purchasing the land and 
locating upon it> I think not. 
" But," says one, " perhaps they will 
not allow you to purchase the land." 
T*he Lord will take care of that; that 
is in the hands of the Lord. That 
same being who will assist in the 
building of a great city on the west- 
ern boundaries of the State of Mis- 
souri, has all power ; and when we 
purchase the land, and go and take 
possession of it, I do not think we 
will be driven from our own lands, if 
we mind our own business and do 
not meddle with our neighbors' busi- 
ness, and do not undertake to injure 
them in their rights and privileges, 
guaranteed to them by the Constitu- 
tion of our country. If we conduct 
ourselves in a peaceable manner, I do 
not see why we may not dwell there 
a& well as other citizens. We have 
the strongest assurance that such 
lyill be the case. These were pro- 
i3[ii^es made to us, before there were 
a hundred persons in this Church. 
It was promised that we should 
%ve a land as an inheritage ; but 
w£ were commanded of God, to pur- 
cji^se the land. Now, when the 
tjime comes for purchasing this land, 
ij^e will have means. How this 
means will be brought about it is 



not for me to say. Perhaps the 
Lord will open up mines containing 
gold and silver, or in some other 
way as seemeth to him best, wealth 
will be poured into the laps of the 
Latter-day Saints till they will 
scarcely know what to do with it. 
I will here again prophesy on the 
strength of former revelation that 
there are no people on the face of 
the whole globe, not even excepting 
London, Paris, New York, or any of 
the great mercantile cities of the 
globe --there are no people now 
upon the face of the earth, so rich as 
the Latter-day Saints will be in a 
few years to come. Having their 
millions ; therefore they will pur- 
chase the land, build up cities, towns 
and villages, build a great capital 
city, at headquarters, in Jackson 
County, Missouri. Will we have a 
temple there ? Yes ; will we have a 
beautiful city? Yes, one of the 
most beautiful cities that will ever 
be erected on the continent of 
America will be built up by the 
Latter-day Saints in Jackson County, 
Missouri. Consequently, when 
congressmen and statesmen, and the 
great naen of our nation, want to 
know what the future destiny of the 
Latter-day Saints will be, let them 
remember the words of your humble 
servant, who has addressed you this 
afternoon ; for they will come to 
pass — they will be fulfilled. We 
have seen too many revelations fill- 
filled, already, to be mistaken in 
regard to these matters. Amen. 



DIFFERENCES BETWEEN, ETC. 



137 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER C. W, PENROSE, 

Delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, Sunday Afteknoon, 

April Uth, 1880. 



(Reported by John Irvine.) 



difference between the latter-day saints and all other 

professing christians. 



I am thankful to-day for . this 
opportunity of meeting with my 
brethren and sisters in this fine 
hall to worship God and spend a 
little time in reflecting upon the 
principles of the Gospel of Jesns 
Christ, and I am thankful also for 
this opportunity of bearing my testi- 
mony to the truth of the work in 
which we are engaged. I trust that 
during the short time I shall stand 
before you I may be lead by the 
Holy Spirit to say something which 
will edify and instruct the people. 

It was remarked by Brother N. 
H. Felt, who has just addressed us, 
that it would be a difficult matter to 
answer the question — wherein do 
the Latter-day Saints, or "Mormons," 
differ in their views from the reiSt 
of the people who profess the Chris- 
tian religion. True this would be a 
difficult question to answer in a few 
imnutes satisfactorily. There are a 
great many points of difference be- 
tween our doctrines and the doc- 
trines of the so-called Christian 
world, but if I were to attempt to 
answer the question in brief I would 
say the chief difference consists in 
this : — That the religion which we 
have received has come down from 
God out of heaven direct, by revela- 
tion, in the day and age in which 



we live, while the religions which 
are believed in by the various Chris- 
tian denominations who meet to-day 
in different parts of the world to 
worship God, most of which have 
been in existence for a long time 
have been in every case arranged by 
men. The people who belong to 
the various Christian sects all pro- 
fess to believe in one Book — the 
Bible, and in one God; but their 
ideas in regard to religion and in 
regard to the manner in which God 
shall be worshipped and served are 
very different, and when we trace up 
the origin of their religion we fiad 
that in every case, with perhaps one 
exception, they have been started by 
men ; by individuals who, no doubt, 
in the first place, believed they were 
enlightened of God and had come to 
the conclusion that such and such 
doctrines were the doctrines of 
Christ, and that it was their duty to 
preach these doctrines. They con- 
vinced others of the truth of the 
ideas which they had adopted, and 
together they formed a religious 
society. Now, we shall find that 
this is the case with all those differ- 
ent sects and parties, that compose 
modern Christendom with the ex- 
ception perhaps of the Church which 
is called the Church of Home, the 



138 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



Eoman Catholic church. That 
church professes to be a continuation 
of the Church which Jesus Christ 
estabUshed. It professes to have 
the same authority, handed down 
from generation to generation, which 
was exercised by the ancient apos- 
tles. It professes to have the keys 
that Peter held. The Pope of Eome 
professes to be the successor of St. 
Peter, and the priesthood of the 
church of Rome profess to have the 
same authority, or similar authority, 
or a succession of the authority, 
which was held in the primitive 
Christian Church. They say there 
has been no interruption of this line 
of priesthood in the church which 
Jesus Christ established, to build up 
which the ancient apostles lost their 
lives — that this priesthood has been 
continued down through the stream 
of time to our own period. All the 
rest of the denominations called 
Christian have sprung from that 
body directly or indirectly, and 
their organization was started in the 
way that I have briefly described. 

You see then there is a great dif- 
ference between our professions and 
the professions of all the rest of the 
Christian world in this particular. 
We testify that in the day and age 
in which we live, God, who spoke in 
ancient times to the prophets, and 
in the meridian of time by his Ocly 
Begotten Son, has uttered his voice 
again out of heaven ; that Jesus 
who died on Calvary, that we might 
live, has manifested himself in this 
day and age of the world ; that the 
angels of God, who were men that 
ministered in the name of the Lord, 
in the flesh, in times of old, who 
died in the truth and live in God, 
have come to the earth in this age 
of the world and revealed the things 
of God ; and that this Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
has been organized, not by the wis- 



dom of man, not by persons who 
have reflected and studied and come 
to certain conclusions in their own 
minds and then founded a church, 
but that it has been organized and 
established and carried on and direc- 
ted under the immediate revelations 
of the Must High God. You see 
this is quite a dififei*ence. There is 
quite a distinction between us and 
all the rest of the people called 
Christians. I do not know, how- 
ever, whether the great body of peo- 
ple caUed Christians will allow us to 
adopt that name. They dispute our 
right to the title of Christians. They 
call us "Mormons" — ^rather a foolish 
title to give us. Mormon is the 
name of a man, a servant of God, a 
prophet of the Most High, who 
lived anciently on this continent 
and wrote some of the things re- 
vealed to him in a book called the 
Book of Mormon ; and because we 
believe in that book, our "Chris- 
tian" friends call us "Mormons." 
We ndght just as well call them. 
Peters, because they believe in 
Peter ; we might just as well call 
them Pauls, Jeremiahs, Isaiahs, or 
Lukes, because they believe in the 
sayings of these men written in the 
book called the Bible, 

But the stranger might say, " It 
is very well for y«u to make such a 
statement aa you have made, that 
your Church has been organized by 
the commandment of God and by 
divine revelation from him in the. 
present day, but how can you prove 
that to the world f There is a very, 
simple way by which tins can be 
found out, by which the truth or 
falsity of what I have said can be 
established. The people. who live 
here in Utah, who have been gather- 
ed here from a great many dSerent 
parts of the earth, are here because 
they know that what I have spoken 
of this afternoon is true. This is 



DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, ETC. 



139 



what brought them here. They 
have not come up to the heights of 
these mountains to dig for gold or 
silver, to make themselves rich with 
the fruits and products of the earth, 
or to unite together to establish some 
socialistic system for the mere better- 
ing of their temporal circumstances. 
They have come here from the east, 
from the west, from the north and 
from the south, from the different ' 
continents and from the islands of the 
sea, because in their own souls they 
have received a testimony similar 
to that which I have borne this 
afternoon. They have investigated 
the subject; they took the course 
pointed out to them by which they 
could find out the truth or falsity of 
this work for themselves, and having 
received a testimony that it is true 
they have come up here to these 
mountains ; they have left their 
homes in various lands, they have 
turned their backs on their former 
homes and relationships, broken up 
their business affairs, many of them 
having left friends arid family and 
have come up here to these naoun- 
tains that they may learn more of 
this important work, having first of 
all received a testimony from God 
that it is true. Well, some one may 
say, " How did they find it out 1 
Did they find it out because some- 
body told themi Did they receive 
their testimony from some other 
man or woman ] No ; they received 
it direct from the Lord, direct from 
the heavens, for " God is no 
respector of persons, but in every 
nation he that feareth him and work- 
eth righteousness is accepted of 
him ;" he is just as willing to mani- 
fest himself to an Englishman, an 
American, a Scotchman, an Irishman, 
a Dutchman, a Scandinavian, a 
South Sea Islander or anybody else, 
as to a Jew. How did they obtain 
this testimony 1 The Apostle James, 



some of whose writings we have in 
this book called the New Testament, , 
told the people in his day, " If any 
of you lack wisdom, let him ask of 
Goa thatgiveth to allmen liberally and 
upbraideth not, and it shall be given 
him. But let him ask in faith, 
nothing wavering. For he that 
wavereth is like a wave of the sea 
driven with the wind and tossed. 
For let not that man think that he 
shaU receive anything of the Lord." 
Now when the elders of this Church 
went out with this testimony that 
God had again spoken from the 
heavens, that communication be- 
tween the heavens and the earth, 
which was once enjoyed by men of old 
had again been opened up, they 
told the people who heard their words 
that if they would believe in the true 
and living God, if they would believe 
in the Lord Jesus Christ, if they would, 
repent of their sins and be baptized 
in water for the remission of si^s, 
they should receive the Holy Ghost, 
and by this Spirit they should ob- 
tain a testimony direct from the 
Almighty to their . own souls, that 
God had ip very* deed commenced 
the great work of the latter days, 
spoken of by all the holy prophets 
since the world began. What was 
the result of this teaching 1 Why, 
in every place, in every part of the 
world, among any people, no matter 
what their former customs or religion 
might have been, no matter what 
condition they might be in, no matter 
how they had been educated, no 
matter of what race they might be, 
wherever they heard the sound of 
this Gospel and obeyed it, they re- 
ceived a testimony of the truth of 
this work and therefore have gather- 
ed up to these mountains. 

This is my testimony to this con- 
gregation this afternoon : that, hav- 
ing received this Gospel and obeyed 
it in the way that I have pointed out; 



uu 



JOURNAL OK DISCOUKSEH. 



I received a testimony to my own 
soul, from the Almighty, by which I 
have no longer any doubt as to its 
truth ; no longer to depend upon the 
testimony of man. I can say for 
myself, before God, before the hea- 
venly hosts, before all nations where- 
ever I may be sent, that I know this 
work is true. I know that God 
lives. I know that God hears and 
answers prayer. I know that Jesus 
is the Christ. I know that angels 
have come down from the heavens 
in these the last times and restored 
the ancient Gospel. I know that 
the holy priesthood, the power of 
God, the authority to administer in 
the name of the Lord, held by men, 
in ancient times, has been restored 
to men in these the latter days, and 
that it is here upon the earth, never 
to be taken away again until the 
work has been accomplished for 
which it was sent ; until every na- 
tion shall hear the sound of the 
Gospel; until every nation, kindred, 
tongue and people, shall hear of the 
purposes of the Great Jehovah ; un- 
til all people shall be warned, and 
the honest and upright, and the 
truth-loving in every clime shall be 
gathered unto the fold of Christ; 
until the way shall be prepared for 
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ 
— to reign in Mount Zion and Jeru- 
salem, and before his ancients glori- 
ously ; until the earth is redeemed 
from the curse ; until Satan and his 
hosts are bound ; until the great 
work of God is accomplished and all 
his children brought up from death 
and hell and the grave, and placed 
in a position where they can glorify 
God throughout the countless ages 
of eternity. 

It is popularly supposed that 
when our elders go out as mission- 
aries to the different countries of the 
earth, they go for the purpose of in- 
ducing people to gather here to these 



peaceful valleys, that they might be 
made subservient to our leaders. 
That is the popular idea. There 
cannot, however, be anything mor^ 
false and ridiculous than this. Whit: 
object could men have in taking the 
trouble to go, as our elders do, to 
face the frowns of the world, to be 
scoffed at and despised, to travel 
** without purse or scrip," as did the 
ancient servants of God, suffering 
contumely, persecution, privation, 
and even hunger and thirst, travel- 
ing foot-sore and weary, among a 
people who, generally speaking, do 
not desire to hear their testimony 1 
Their object is to preach the Gospel 
of Christ, and to bear witness of this 
great work. It is not merely to ga- 
ther people to these mountains. 
When people do come here they 
come just as I have said, — because 
they have received the Gospel, and 
know it to be true. They come up 
here that they may learn more of 
the ways of the Lord. And this is 
the testimony that our elders bear 
wherever they may be sent : That 
God has restored the ancient Gospel 
and that he is building up his Church 
on the earth again for the last time; 
that the hour of God's judgment is 
nigh ; that the angel, to whom Bro- 
ther Felt referred, and about whom 
he quoted from the revelations of St. 
John, has come to the earth with 
"the everlasting Gospel to preach to 
every nation, and kindred, and 
tongue, and people, saying, with a 
loud voice, Fear God and give glory 
to him for the hour of his judgment 
is come." This is our testimony, this 
ifi why we go forth, arid when the 
people hear our testimony and believe 
it, and call upon the Lord for a wit- 
ness, they receive it, and then they 
are willling to forego everything for 
the sake of the Gospel. 

There is another great difference 
between our religion arid the reli- 



DIFF£RENCE BSTTWEEN, ETC. 



HI 



gions of the world, and that consists 
in the power and authority of the 
priesthood to which I have briefly 
referred. Now, it is true that the 
church called the Church of Rome, 
professes to have the priesthood. 
That church professes to have the 
same authority which was in the 
ancient church, and that it has been 
handed down from generation to 
generation to our own times. The 
Church of England — or the Episco- 
pal Church as it is called here — pro- 
fesses to have a portion of tliat same 
authority. The Greek Church also 
professes to have a portion of that 
authoiity. They are branches or off- 
shoots from this Roman Catholic 
Church ; but the rest of the Chris- 
tian denominations repudiate any 
idea of a priesthood. They think 
there is no need for any priesthood. 
They say that Jesus was the Great 
High Priest, and that there is no 
need for any more priests ; that is 
the prevalent idea among the rest of 
the Christian sects. But we do be- 
lieve in the necessity of this priest- 
hood, and say that it has been re- 
stored from heaven in this our own 
. times. In what way 1 In the first 
; place John the Baptist, who went 
before Jesus to prepare the way for 
him as the prophets predicted, who 
held the priesthood of Aaron, or 
the Levitical priesthood — that same 
person who baptized Jesus in the 
river Jordan, and who was beheaded 
for preaching the word of the Lord, 
has come to the earth in this day 
and age of the world, and ordained 
man to the same authority and 
priesthood that he held while he was 
in the flesh. Now, I do not know 
that there is another people on the 
face of the earth that possess any 
Btkch thing as that, so that in that 
respect there is a great difference be- 
ween our religion and the religions 
of the world. Further, we testify 



that not only this lesser priesthood 
which was held by John the Bap- 
tist has been restored, but that 
Peter, James and John, who held 
the Apostleship, the same priesthood 
which Christ held, have come in 
this our own time and restored the 
authority which they held. "As 
my Father hath sent me, even so 
send I you," said Jesus to his dis- 
ciples. They were ordained to the 
same authority that He held. What 
authority was that 1 We are told 
that Christ was called to be a priest 
forever after the order of Melchise- 
dek, an unchangeable priesthood, 
everlasting, without beginning of 
(lays or end of years. He conferred 
the same priesthood upon His apos- 
tles, and Peter, James and John 
were left to take charge of th© 
Church when He departed ; they 
had the keys of the kingdom; 
whatsoever they should bind on 
earth was to be bound in heaven, 
and whatever they should loose on 
earth was to be loosed in heaven. 
Now, we testify that these three 
individuals holding the keys of that 
apostleship, the higher priesthood, 
have come down to the earth as 
ministering beings in our own times, 
and ordained the Prophet Joseph 
Smith to the same apostleship and 
priesthood and authority which 
they held, and through him it has 
been conferred upon others, so that 
the ancient authority and priest- 
hood held by men of God in times 
of old, is here on the earth in this 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
day Saints. 

Then there is another difference 
between us and the rest of the peo- 
ple called Christian, who profess^ to 
believe in the Christian religion. 
This lesser priesthood holds the 
power to baptize for the remission 
of sins among other things, but it 
does not hold the power to confer 



142 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



the Holy Ghost upon the people. 
When John the Baptist baptized 
for the remission of sins he said, 
"There cometh after me one mightier 
than I, the latchet of whose shoes I 
am not worthy to unloose. I in- 
deed have baptized you with water ; 
but he shall baptize you with the 
Holy Ghost.'* And we read in the 
New Testament, in the Acts of the 
Apostles, that on a certain occasion 
when the apostles were passing 
through the upper coasts of Ephesus, 
they found certain disciples who had 
simply been baptized with the bap- 
tism of John, who did nothing but 
baptize for the remission of sins, he 
having no authority to lay his hands 
upon the people ; they had not re- 
ceived the Holy Ghost. But the 
apostles had received that power 
and authority from Jesus Christ 
which He himself held, and • they 
laid their hands upon these people, 
and they received the Holy Ghost. 
Here is the difference, or one point 
of difference, between those two 
priesthoods. Now this priesthood 
has not remained upon the earth, 
hence the necessity of restoring it. 
The only person in Christendom 
who professes to have the keys of 
the apostolic priesthood is the Pope 
of Rome. What is the Pope ©f 
Rome ? Is he an apostle 1 No ; he 
does not profess to be an apostle. 
Then how came he to be the suc- 
cessor of Peter 1 Peter was an 
apostle. He held the keys that 
Christ gave to him. Christ or- 
dained him. Does the Pope of 
Rome profess to have the keys of 
revelation 1 No, he does not profess 
to receive any new revelation. He, 
with others, sometimes meet in holy 
Convocation, as it is called; they 
meet in council, they enunciate cer- 
tain dogmas, but he does not pro- 
fess to receive any revelation from 
God. What was the great power of 



the ancient apostleshipl The power 
to commune with the Highest The 
form of the apostleship was no- 
thing ; the power was everything. 
That power departed from the 
earth. The people in ancient times 
were unworthy of it. They put out 
the lights of God which He had 
placed in the world, and left them- 
selves in darkness. They cut short 
the apostles' lives, and the world 
was left in the gloom. They would 
not have the power and authority 
oi that apostleship in their midst, 
and instead of the ancient Church 
of Christ with the power of God, 
with the ministration of angels, 
with the gifts and blessings we read 
about in the New Testament, we 
find arising a church of a different 
form, a church that has persecuted 
the Saints, a church that is stained 
with the blood of the innocent, a 
church that put people to death for 
their religious belief (which the 
Church of Christ never did), and 
yet that church, including all the 
various contending denominations 
and sects extant upon the earth, is 
called "Christian!" 

Now, our testimony to the world 
is that God has restored these two 
ancient priesthoods — that is, the 
power to administer in the name of 
the Lord by authority, and that the 
power of God accompanies that aa 
thoriiiy. Here are men who profess 
to have the right to administer the 
ordinance of baptism for the remis- 
sion of sins, who profess to have the 
authority to lay hands upon the peo- 
ple for the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
Now, an impostor might profess to 
have this power. Having read 
about it in the New Testament, and 
seeing that the ancient servants of 
God possessed such power, a man 
might profess to have authority to 
lay hands upon people for the be- 
stowal of the Holy Ghost. But an 



DIfTSRBNCB BfiTWEBN, ETC. 



143 



impostor cannot really confer the 
Holy Ghost. That comes from God. 
No man can bestow the gift of the 
Holy Ghost upon any one ; that is 
the gift of God. We read about a 
man who thought he could purchase 
this power. He offered the apostles 
money for it. But Peter said unto 
him, " Thy money perish with thee, 
because thou hast thought that the 
gift of God may be purchased with 
money.*' 

Now, here we have in Utah about 
150,000 people. A great many of 
them came t6 these mountains under 
very adverse circumstances. They 
left their various homes in different 
parts of the world to gather out here 
with the Saints, Why ] Because 
they knew that this was the work of 
God by the gift and power of the 
Holy Ghost. How did they receive 
it ? They received it by the laying 
on of hands of men who professed to 
have the authority to do so. Now, 
the fact that they received the gift 
of the Holy Ghost is a proof that the 
power of God accompanies the ad- 
ministration. The same fruits that 
were made manifest in days of old 
are made manifest to-day. We read 
in the New Testament that certain 
gifts existed in the ancient Church. 
The sick were healed and the lame 
made to walk. Some had the gift 
of tongues, others the interpretation 
of tongues, others the gift of pro- 
phecy, etc. What was the effect of 
the eiristence of these gifts ? Union, 
concord, brotherly love, all seeing 
eye to eye. Now, inasmuch as we 
find the same gifts among the Lat- 
ter-day Saints — although of different 
nationalities, formerly of different 
religions, brought up in different 
ways — ^it is evidence clear and plain 
that the power of God is in the midst 
of this people ; that the Holy Ghost 
has been conferred upon them, and 
this is their united testimony. This 



I is clear to me, but it may not be 
clear to everybody else. I do not 
believe it possible for others to see 
things as i do, unless they take the 
same course as I have done, and test 
the matter for themselves. 

If a man believes in God, and in 
his Son Jesus Christ, and in the 
Scriptures, he will manifest his faith 
by receiving the doctrines laid down 
and the commandments given ; and 
if he will ask of God he will receive 
a t-estimony. I can make bold to 
promise this blessing to every man 
and woman in this house — and I do 
it in the name of the Lord Jesus 
Christ — if they will obey this Gospel 
which God has sent from heaven for 
the salvation of mankind. My 
friends, if you will turn away from 
your evil deeds, if you will turn unto 
the Lord God, obey the ordinances 
and ask for a testimony of the truth 
of this work ; if you will do this in 
sincerity, I promise you in the name 
of the Lord you shall receive the 
testimony you seek. . Is there any 
minister upon the face of the whole 
earth, amongst the so-called Chris- 
tian sects, who can make you a simi- 
lar promise] No. Whyl Because 
they have not been called to this 
work. This is another point of 
difference between our religion and 
that of the world. Our elders go 
forth with boldness, because they 
are not sent by men. They ar« 
not called to preach for hire. They 
are called of God to bear th« holy 
priesthood and carry forth this mes- 
sage of glad tidings wherever they 
may be sent. It is their duty to 
proclaim this Gospel to the utter- 
most bounds of the earth, and their 
testimony is similar to that I havt 
borne here to-day, and our witnesses 
are the Latter-day Saints — gathered 
from the nations — who dwell in the 
valleys of the mountains. 

There are a great many other 



14^ 



JOURNAL OF mdcotmsKs. 



points of difference between us and 
the so called Christian world, that I 
have not time tq refer to. For in- 
stance, we believe in the doctrine ©f 
gathering to this land from all parts 
of the world. When we go out to 
preach this Gospel, we do not advise 
the people to stay and erect great 
churches in the countries where they 
receive the Gospel. We bear testi- 
mony to them that this is the time 
of God's judgments. We say, "Come 
out of her, my people, that ye be 
not partakers of her sins, and that 
ye receive not of her plagues." We 
testify that the time is near at hand 
when great Babylon shall fall ; when 
God shall smite terribly all the 
nations of the earth; when he will 
turn and overturn ; when nation 
shall rise against nation and king- 
dom against kingdom ; people 
against people and family against 
family ; when there shall be wars 
and rumors of wars; plagues, famines 
and pestilence ; such a time as has 
never been known upon the earth 
from the beginning even unto the 
present day. llierefore we call upon 
the elect of God to come out from 
the nations of the earth, and they 
come from the east and from the 
west, from the north and from the 
south, to this chosen land, to serve 
the Lord, to learn of his ways and 
to walk in his paths, and prepare 
themselves for the great events that 
are about to transpire on the earth. 
Another great point of difference 
is the building of Temples. The 
different Christian denominations 
build houses and -call them St. 
Paul's church, St. Peter's church, 
St. Mark's church, etc. They build 
churches to these various saints, 
but they know nothing about build- 
ing a house to the name of the Most 
High God, — a temple in which the 
Lord may come and place His feet ; 
for this is the day spoken of by the 



prophets, when "the Lord, whom 
ye seek, shall suddenly come to his 
temple, even the messenger of the 
covenant whom ye delight in ; be- 
hold, he shall come, saith the Lord 
of Hosts. But who may abide the 
day of his coming, and who shall 
stand when he appeareth, for he is 
Kke a refiners's j&re," etc. We call 
upon the people to come out and 
help build temples in which ordi- 
nances can be administered for the 
benefit of the living and the re- 
demption of the dead. The re- 
demption of the dead ! Can the liv- 
ing do anything for the dead? When 
people pass away from the earth, is 
not their condition settled % When 
the tree falls, does it not lie there % 
Yes, it does, till it is moved. In con- 
nection with the Gospel we have re- 
ceived glad tiding of salvation 
which is preached to the living and 
to the dead. The Lord has revealed 
to us the glorious doctrine of re- 
demption for the dead — a plan by 
which the living may aid the dead 
Not by sajring mass over the soul of 
the departed, but by attending to 
certain ordinances for them which 
belong to the Gospel. Are all the 
thousands and millions ot people who 
have passed away without a know- 
ledge of the Gospel to perish 1 No. 
There is no name under heaven but 
the name of Jesus whereby man shall 
be saved. Ask our Christian friends 
if the mDlions of heathens who have 
passed away from this world have 
ever heard the name of Jesus. If not, 
what is to become of them? 
Millions of people who dwell 
upon the earth even in so- 
called Christian countries know 
nothing about the true Gospel. 
The so-called Christian churches kck 
this knowledge and light. By the 
confession of the Episcopal Church, 
in its hofflily of the perils of idcdatry, 
the Whole of Ohristendom, " dergj 



DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, ETC. 



Hi 



and laity, men, women and children 
of all ages, sexes and degrees, have 
been at the time the homily was 
written, buried in the most abomi- 
nable idolatry for the space of 800 
years or more. According to the 
testimony of the Apostle in the 
Apocalypse, the whole world, Chris- 
tian as well as heathen, has gone 
astray, all nations have become 
drunk with the wine of the wrath 
of the fornication of Babylon the 
great, the mother of harlots ; and 
there has been no voice from heaven, 
no revelation from God, no commu- 
nication with the eternal world for 
many centuries. Although a great 
many people have tried to do the 
best they could — and so far being 
accepted of God — ^yet they have not 
received the Gospel by which they 
can enter into the presence of the 
eternal Father ; they have not 
entered in at the straight and narrow 
gate which leadeth to lives eternal. 

By this Gospel which has been 
revealed to us, the servants of God 
who depart from this mortal sphere, 
take with them the authority and 
priesthood they hold, as Christ did, 
when he went to preach to the 
spirits in i>ri8on» So the servants of 
God, bearing the same priesthood, 
go and minister to the spirits behind 
the vail whether Christian, heathen 
or pagan. No matter what clime or 
race thej belong to, all must hear 
the same Gospel and be judged by 
it on the great day of judgment. 
They have therefore an opportunity 
of repenting in the. spirit, if they did 
not near the Gospel in the flesh. 
The Spirit can believe, can be 
informed and instructed in the ways 
of God, but the Spirit beyond the 
vail cannot attend to ordinances per- 
taining to the flesh. To this end, 
therefore, we are building temples so 
that, when they are sanctified and 
accepted of God, the holy priesthood 

No. 10. 



may administer both for the living 
and the dead. For this is the great 
dispensation of the fulness of times 
in which Christ will gather together 
in one, all things that are in him» 
both which are in heaven and which 
are on earth. This is the last dis- 
pensation of God's mercy to man. 
The work has been commenced and 
it will roll on until the Gospel has 
been preached to every nation, kin- 
dred, tongue and people, aud the 
honest in heart have been gathered 
out from among the Gentiles. Then 
the Lord will send his servants unto 
the Jews and the House of Israel^ 
and thus fully accomplish all he has 
spoken by the holy prophets. We 
will therefore work while we dwell 
in the flesh, and when we have 
finished the work we will pass behind 
the vail to sweet rest. Rest from 
our trials and sufferings, from our 
sorrows and tribulations, from our 
persecutions aud misrepresentations, 
but not to cease from our labors of 
love, but to minister in the power, 
in the strength, in the might and 
majesty of the eternal priesthood 
among the hosts behind the vail, 
and those that dwell upon the earth 
will continue to build temples and 
minister therein, that the dead may 
be redeemed. 

I have not time to continue fur* 
ther on this subject I have briefly 
pointed out some of the differences 
between us and the ''Christian'^ 
world. And now I will bear my 
testimony to this congregation in 
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 
that this is not the work of man ; 
that "Mormonism" is the work of 
the Great God, and no power can 
overturn it. And I testify further|^. 
that every nation and kingdom that 
shall rise against this work shall 
perish and be utterly wasted away*. 
The Lord will have a reckoning with 
that nation, no matter where it is^ 

Vol. XXL 



146 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



for all the nations of the earth are 
ill the hands of God, an(f every 
human government that will not 
serve him shall be brought low, 
lintil his kiDgdom spreads forth and 
ie estabhshed upon the whole earth 
■*ith Christ the Redeemer, as King, 



whose right it is to rule. 

May the peace of God, which 
pasBeth all underetauding, rest in 
the hearts of the Saints, and also 
guide all people who desire the 
truth, in the way of life eternal, 
through Jesus Christ. Amen. 



DISCOUI«E BY ELDER ORSON PRATT, 
Deutxred in the Tabbenacle, Looan City, Satukday Aftekmoom, 

NoVEMBEK IST, 1879. 

(Eeporled hy Geo. F. GMs.) 



strength thereof. And thus they 

labored, witli all diligence, uncording 

to the' ccimmaQdAibbta of tlie LbiS 

he lolkd 

)d Dtkto 
Woaa 
id ttiffr 



'<«■,.- 
^f'^ 



PROGRESS OF THE SAINTS, ETC. 



U7 



Covenants. We have here a clear 
and plain prediction, in the form of 
a parable, that was recorded upon 
plates of gold, almost 600 years be- 
fore Christ, in relation to the great 
work iu which we, as the servants 
«f the Lord, and the Latter-day 
faints, are engaged. Perhaps there 
may be some persons, numbered 
among this community, who may 
have a feeling something like this ; 
" that we are net living according to 
the law that is given in the Doctrine 
and Qovenants, in all respects." 
And they have drawn the conclusion, 
that perhaps the Lord would forsake 
us in consequence of our not carry- 
ing out the laws so clearly defined 
and explained in that record. These 
things were clearly set forth before 
the people, this forenoon, in regard 
to wherein we have not entered into 
all the fulness and perfection of that 
order of things. But the question 
is, can we do much better, under the 
present circumstances) This is a 
great question to be considered. 
And in the consideration of it, we 
have to enquire into a number of 
other things, such as can we lay 
iffiide the present order of things 
that is not consistent with the Doc- 
tnne and Covenants ; and can we 
begin anew here in these valleys, 
and carry out the law of the Lord 
in all its perfection! I do not 
know but what there may be a bare 
possibility of our doing it ; but 
whether the Lord requires this at 
our hands under the present circum- 
stances is another thing. We are 
V€*y imperfect, and yet we try to do 
ri^ht. We want to keep the com- 
BHindmeuts of the Lord ; we desire 
to be members of his Church ; we 
desire to have his Holy Spirit rest- 
iBg upon us, and we desire to be 
^ded by it. We wish to know 
what the counsel of the servants of 
3od is c<mceming us ; and yet, | 



hardly know which way to turn. 
We see a united order established in 
one place, according to one principle^ 
we go to another part of the land, 
and we find an order established on 
a little different principle ; and we 
hear of another, all differing some^ 
what. And so on until we visit 
nearly all the settlements of these 
mountains. And as was stated this 
forenoon, they differ as do the elders 
themselves in their views. 

Now what has the Lord said in 
this parable of the vineyard 1 "And 
they did 'ke^ the root and the top 
thereof equal/' In what respect 
were they tttade equal 1 The next 
part of that same sentence declares 
that they weVermad^ equal " accord> 
ing to the fettength thereof." Now 
there is a great deal expressed in 
those few words. They were not 
made equal all at once, as the inhabi- 
tants of a celestial world are, with- 
out any improvements being intro 
duced ; but they were to keep the 
root and the top of the great tree 
equal, accordmg to the strength thereof; 
that is according to the conditien 
and circumstances in which th6 peo- 
ple are placed. Now 1 consider, 
that notwithstanding all our devia- 
tions from' the:p^ect law that 'Okd 
has given, notwithstanding the con* 
dition of things pointed out so clear- 
ly in the Doctrine and Covenants in 
regard to holding stewardships a&d 
inheritances, and ^ving an account 
of those stewardships and inherit- 
ances, according to the perfect order, 
— I consider we are doing pretty 
well, in a great many respects. We 
have progtessed ; we have made 
improvenvents ; we are in a mere 
united eondition than we were 45 
years ago.' fi^ce there has been an 
unprovement among the Latteisday 
Samts; and this improvement has 
been for the better; it has beeti 
pointing all thetime towards equa- 



te 



148 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



lity, though we have not succeeded, 
according to the perfect law. But 
we have succeeded according to the 
strength of the people, — according 
to the circumstances with which 
they are surrounded. We have 
succeeded in a great measure to 
instil into their minds the great 
principle of unity 'and oneness, not 
only in spiritual things, but in tem> 
poral things also. The day will 
come when this will be fulfilled to 
the very letter, in accordance with 
words which say, " they became like 
unto one body ; and the fruit were 
equal." That is the destination of 
the Latter-day Saints in the future. 
The fruit is to be equal ; the roots 
and the branches are all to be kept 
in their perfect order, and the whole 
tree kept in a thriving condition. 
Then we shall have learned the 
great principle of the celestial order, 
that must be carried out among the 
children of men. During that long 
period called the Millennium, this 
people will see the importance of 
attending to that perfect order when 
our strength- shall warrant. At pre- 
sent we have no perfect example 
bc^fore us. Where has there been 
either in this Territory or in Arizona 
an instance where the perfect law of 
God has been carried out, as laid 
down in the Doctrine and Cove- 
iisaits ? I know of no such instance. 
I know of a great many improve- 
ments upon the old condition of 
things which has existed among our 
lathers — the Gentile notion and idea 
oi.each one holding separate and 
kidividual interests, without being 
accountable to anyone. That is the 
old system. We have made many 
improvements, but we have not 
carried out in any one solitary in- 
stance in any settlement I am 
acquainted with, the order of things 
laid down in the revelations, con- 
tained in the Book of Covenants. • 



There has been a great deal said,, 
at different times upon the subject- 
of families being united as one, — 
eating at the same table, for instance,, 
and having one large field, wher» 
their farming operations might be 
carried on, aU who are farmers going 
forth into the same field to labor ; 
and the same principle carried out 
in regard to other branches, all 
taking hold unitedly, having the 
common interest at heart. 1^ there 
anything in the revelations g^ven in 
these Latter-days requiring this 
order of things, or is it something 
we ourselves have considered as be- 
ing a little ahead of what our fathers 
have been practising? I do not 
know anything laid down in the 
revelations, requiring us to take this 
particular method. Yet, is it right? 
Yes. Why it is right according to 
the circumstances with which they 
are surrounded ; it points forward to 
unity and tends to instruct us in the 
preliminary ideas of being united 
together. And hence, those that 
can enter into this order, who are 
willing to unite in this way, are 
doing well and will be blessed for it 
But let no person set any stakes, in 
regard to this matter, that because- 
he may have entered into a special 
order, introduced in one settlement 
that all others are wrong, because 
they do not do likewise ; they should 
not find fault with their brethren, 
neither be discouraged in well-doing. 

There are a great many different 
ideas among the Latter-day Saints, 
in relation to these matters. But 
then, we have a standard given in 
the Book of Covenants, by which we 
should be governed. By and bye, I 
expect we will be in diflferent circum- 
stances, in which stewardships or 
inheritances can be issued, for all 
families of the Saints, some in one 
kind or branch of business, and some 
in another; and the full law o£ 



PROGRESS OF THE SAINTS, ETC. 



U9 



consecration will take place. 

I am, and I presume a great many 
others who are acquainted with the 
l^velations of God, as contained in 
the Doctrine and Covenants, are 
looking for the period of time to 
came, in the history of the Latter- 
day Saints, when we as a people 
shall possess a very different country 
fiom the one we are now inhabiting. 
We do not expect to go to the Sand- 
wich Islands, neither to the Society 
Islands, neither to any of the islands 
6f the oceans, nor into South Amer- 
ica, nor Central America, to carry 
ont the order of things which we 
expect to enter into in all its fulness. 
Eut we evpect, just' as much as we 
expect the sun will shine, when it 
arises on a clear morning, that the 
Lord will by and bye, take us back 
to the land referred to by Brother 
Snow, this forenoon. We do not 
expect that when that time shall 
come, that aU Latter-day Saints, 
who now occupy the mountain 
Valleys, will go in one consolidated 
body, leaving this land totally with- 
out inhabitants. We do not expect 
any such thing. But we do expect, 
ihat there will be a period in the 
future history of the Church when 
many hundreds of this people — our 
youth, for instance, who will grow 
up in those days, when they will be 
•consolidated as a body, and will go 
to the eastern portions of the state 
of Kansas, . and also to the western 
portions of the state of Missouri to 
settle. And when that time shall 
come, if it be needful to carry out 
the commandments which Brother 
Snow read this morning, referring to 
the purchase of lands, we will have 
property and means sufficient to 
accomplish this work. It was neces- 
sary some 47 years ago to purchase 
lands, and also for several years 
Afterwards. But we did not do it 
then. It may be necessary for us in 



times to come, and probably will be 
necessary for us to purchase that 
whole region of country. Why so 1 
Because if there be prior occupants 
to it, should we not be willing to 
give them an equivalent, such as 
will satisfy them, for its possessioni 
including the improvements attached 
thereto ) Certainly. Consequently 
it may be necessary for us to carry 
out the fulness of all these revela- 
tions, notwithstanding all the abus^ 
and persecutions that have been 
heaped upon the Latter-day Saints* 
But whether this be the case or not 
there is one thing certain — some- 
thing that you and I may depend 
upon, with as much certainty as we 
expect to get our daily food, and 
that is, that the;Lord our Grod will 
take this people back, and will select 
from among this people, a sufficient 
number, to make the army of Israel 
very great. And when that day 
comes, he will guide the forces of 
those who emigrate to their posses- 
sions in those two states, that I have 
mentioned. And the land thus pur- 
chased will be no doubt, as far as 
possible, located in one district of 
country, which will be settled very 
differently from the way we now 
settle up these mountain regions. 
You may ask, in what respect we 
shall differ in settling up those coun- 
tries when we go there to fulfil the 
commandments of the Lord 1 I will 
tell you. No man in those localities 
will be permitted to receive a 
stewardship on those lands, unless 
he is willing to consecrate all his 
properties to the Lord. That will 
be amon^ the first teachings given. 
When this shall be done, the people 
will be, as the parable says, like unto 
one body — all equally poor, or all 
equally rich ; in other words, they 
will be persons that can claim n.o 
I property as their own, everything 
I being consecrated. And the lana 



150 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



being purchased, will be held on a 
different principle, from what it is 
now. To-day fifty thonsand dollars 
worth of real estate property is the 
most that can be held by a religious 
•iganization ; but in that day the 
whole of our properties, amounting 
a very much larger sum, will be held 
ifx trust. For whom? For the 
CSiurch of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
Saints, and for all this great com- 
pany that will be gathered together. 
And there will be such a change in 
governmental affairs, that the 
trustee, whoever he may be, will 
only act as such as long as he is 
faithful ; and if he becomes unfaith- 
fiil it will be transferred to another. 
Neither in case of death will the 
beirs of such trustee have any claim 
whatever on the property; the 
power regulating such matters will 
then be vested in the proper autho- 
rity who wUl mete out even justice 
to all parties. 

These persons, therefore^ will be 
in the same condition that all the 
rest of the people are in. The pro- 
perties they hold will not be their 
own, although it may be called so, 
as far as that is concerned. And 
when it shall be ascertained that an 
individual has consecrated every- 
thing he has, inquiries will be made 
as to the size of his family, and land 
will be apportioned to him according- 
ly — not to deed him the property, 
according to the Gentile practice ; 
but rather that the extent of his 
stewardship may be determuied. 
"When this is done, he takes his 
stewardship, each man having his 
own table, without being necessita- 
ted at all to eat at his neighbor's. 
People will build their own houses, 
<etc., when needful, provided they are 
able to do so, if not, what. assistance 
%hey require will be rendered them.; 
And then they and all the others 
will be required to keep an account 



of their proceedings and present the 
same to the bishops at the end of the 
year, or as often as may be required. 
These bishops, if they do their duty, 
will scan these things: " Brother, ydu 
have been unwise in such and saeh 
things, but in other particulars you 
have done well." In this way eadi 
man will give an account of \^ 
stewardship, as the revelation says, 
both in time and eternity. And he 
that proves himself a faithful andi 
wise steward in time, will be counted 
worthy to receive not only a steward- 
ship but an inheritance in eternity. 
What is the object of the steward- 
ship? Is it not to prepare us for 
that still higher order of things that 
shall exist when we shall receive an 
inheritance] And when that time 
comes, and we shall still be found 
faithful to our trust, the Lord will 
be pleased to say, " I can trust that 
man, he has proved himself in the 
days of his probation : he is a wise 
man ; he has done right in all things 
with which he has been entrusted. 
Now let him have not merely a 
stewardship, but let it be given to 
him as an everlasting possession, for 
him and hi& seed after him for ever 
and ever, both for time and eternity.'* 
You may perhaps ask when ttus- 
time will cornel for the Saints to 
receive bona fide inheritances. The 
time will come for the Saints to 
receive their stewardships, when 
they shall return to the lands from 
whence they have been driven ; but 
the inheritances will not be given, 
until the Lord shall first appoint to 
the righteous dead their inheri' 
tances, and afterwards the righteous 
living will receive theirs. This you 
will find recorded in the Doctrine 
and Covenants ; and 'in the sAtne 
Book it is predicted that there is to 
be one " mighty and strong," as well 
as to be an imttiortal personage,— 
one that is clothed upon with light 



PROGRESS OF THE SAINTS, ETC.\ 



151 



as with a garment : — one whose 
bowels are a fountain of truth. His 
mission will be to divide, by lot, to 
the Saints their inheritances,, accord- 
ing to their faithfulness in their 
stewardships. This too agrees with 
another revelation, given on the 27 th 
Dec. 1832, which says, in great 
plainness, that when the Saints are 
resurrected and caught up into 
heaven, and the living Saints are 
also caught up, and that when the 
seventh angel shall have sounded 
his trump, then the Saints shall 
receive their inheritances. The 
time then is there specified, concern- 
ing the period that the Lord has in 
his own mind, when inheritances 
shall be given. Finally after the 
Saints have been resurrected and 
caught up, in connection with all 
the then living Saints, into heaven ; 
and after the seventh angel sounds 
his trump, the earth will be given 
to the Saints of the Most High for 
an inheritance to be divided out to 
them. This land, about which I 
have been speaking, is called in some 
places in the revelations of God to 
the Prophet Joseph, the land of our 
inheritance ; and in other places it is 
referred to in the form of steward- 
ships. In one sense it may be con- 
sidered our inheritance, because the 
L^rd designs, . in his own wisdom, 
jthat the Latter-day Saints shall 
possess that land as such, and their 
dead with them. And having 
decreed this, even before we ever 
saw it, he will fulfil it. I will refer 
you to a part of the revelation given 
on the 2nd Jan., 1831, at the house 
of Father Whitmer : " And I hold 
forth and deign to give unto you 
greater yif-hes, even a land of prp- 
mise, a Imi flowing with milk and 
honey, upon which there shall be no 
curse when^^jthe Lord cometh : And 
I will give xt pnto you for the land 
of your inheritance," — not only 



stewardship, but inheritance ] 
"And this shall be my covenant 
with you," says the Lord further, 
" ye shall have it for the land of 
your inheritance, and for the inheri- 
tance of your children, forevqr, 
while the earth shall stand, and ye 
shall possess it again in eternity, no 
more to pass away." In this sense 
it is called the land of our inheri- 
tance. But when we come to speak 
definitely, we will have to be proven 
as stewards first. If we shall be 
unwise in the disposition of this 
trust, then it will be very doubtful, 
whether we get an inheritance in 
this world or in the world to come. 
What is it then we look fori 
We expect— I was about to quote 
from the prediction of Isaiah regard 
less of consequences ; I trust, how 
ever, there is no one present who 
will look upon that great and good 
man of God as a traitor against 
the government of the United States 
— that, " A little one shall becom^ 
a thousand, and a small one a strong 
nation." I expect that this people, 
if they do not become a " strong 
nation" in one sense of the word! 
they will be a great and strong ana 
powerful people upon the face of 
this land. This is one of the things 
your humble servant is looking for. 
And I expect that when we go from 
these mountains, by hundreds .of 
thousands, down to that land to pur- 
chase it and to occupy it, that we 
will take with us a great deal of 
gold and silver — for the Lord will 
in those days make his people very 
rich, in fulfilment of another promise 
made in the same revelation, i^ 
which he says, that we shall become 
the richest of all people. . If this ,^ 
to be the case, the Lord >vill pro- 
bably fulfil that predictioji by Isaig^ij 
contained in the 6Uth chapter of his 
book — '* for brass I will bring gold, 
and for iron I will bring silver, and 



152 



JOURNAX OF DISCOURSES 



tor wood brass, and for stone iron ;" 
ftnd he will bestow upon bis people 
ricbes that they will not know what 
to do with them, unless directed by 
the counsels of the servants of the 
living God. With this we will pur- 
diase the land, and go down and in- 
herit it, as a strong and powerful 
people, receiving our stewardships. 
And we will not spread forth in that 
land three or four miles apart, and 
think we are crowded when people 
come and settle within a mile of us ; 
but we will settle in such a manner 
as to make a very dense population. 
It is a country that is susceptible, 
almost every foot of it, to agricultu- 
ral purposes ; and we can settle with 
a very large population upon every 
square mile of country. And we 
will extend our bordei-s aronnd about 
the great central city, not stake, of 
Zion. You have heard of the centre- 
stake of Zion, but did you ever read 
in the revelations of GU)d that the 
place where the New Jerusalem is to 
be built is called a stake 1 There 
are other places, called Stakes of 
Zion, but they will be round about 
the city. And we will be multiplied 
by hundreds and thousands ; and we 
will build, throughout the region 
of country, our meeting houses, 
our school houses, our acade- 
mies and universities ; and we will 
see to it, that all of our children 
have equal advantages, as far as 
possible, of becoming acquainted 
with all necessary and useful learn- 
ing. Not as it is now : some obtain 
great learning ; while ©thers are 
obliged from their childhood, from 
the time they are six or eight years 
of age, to work to that extent that 
they cannot devote any time to ac- 
quire an education. This order of 
things %vill be remedied; and the 
youth of God's people will have 
equal opportunities, to develop them- 
selves ; not that they will all gain 



the same ideas exactly ; not that 
they will all advance in the same 
direction in education, and to the 
same extent. One perhaps may 
follow a certain branch, calculated to 
prepare him to act in a certain posi- 
tion in his future life ; while another 
may adopt an entirely different 
course of study, by which he could 
be of benefit to Zion. But there 
will be equal privileges and bless- 
ings bestowed upon the Latter-day 
Saints. 

Now about these stewards. They 
have to be accountable ; and if they 
gain anything in their stewardships 
over and above that which may be 
necessary to conduct the business 
of stewardships, and also to support 
themselves, if there be a surplus of 
means, what will be said 1 Will it 
be said by bishops, " Here, brother 
you must give up all this surplus to 
the storehouse of the Lord!" It 
might be said to one to unite him 
to the stewardship, without having 
any greater means to extend his 
operations, for the time being ; and 
again, it might be deemed wisdom 
to assist another to the amount of 
five, ten, twenty thousand dollars or 
so, by way of extending his branch 
of business, because in doing so it 
would be the means of not only 
benefitting himself and family but 
the people of Zion generally. 

The revelation says : ** They shall 
give into the store-house all that is 
not needed for the support of the 
needy families." In this way the 
Lord's storehouse will be full and in 
great abundance ; and these means 
will be used for public purposes, 
and also by way of providing farm- 
ing implements, books, etc., for the 
remnants of Joseph who will come 
into the covenant in those days, 
that they may also have their 
stewardships in the midst oi the 
people of God. There will be a 



PROGRESS OF THE SAINTS, ETC. 



153 



portioa of the avails of these 
stewardships, that will be consecra- 
ted to the Lord's storehouse, and 
which will be used for the building 
of Temples, and for beautifying 

Jublic places in the city of the New 
emsaleni, and making that a city 
of perfection as near as we possibly 
can. 

Now, there will be this difference 
between that city and the cities and 
Temples which are being built. 
The cities and temples which we are 
now engaged in building, we expect 
to decay ; we expect the rock and 
the various building materials will 
in time waste away, according to 
natural laws. But when we build 
that great central city, the New 
Jerusalem, there will be no such 
thing as the word decay associated 
with it ; it will not decay any more 
than the pot of manna which was 
gathered by the children of Israel 
and put into a sacred place in the 
ark of the covenant. It was pre- 
8er\'ed from year to year by the 
power of God ; so will he preserve 
the city of the New Jerusalem, the 
dwelling houses, the tabernacles, the 
Temples, etc., from the effects of 
storms and time. It is intended 
that it will be taken up to heaven, 
when the earth passes away. It is 
intended to be one of those choice 
and holy places, where the Lord 
will dwell, when he shall visit from 
time to time, in the midst of the 
great latter-day Zion, after it shall 
be connected with the city of Enoch. 
That then is the difference. 

The Lord our God will command 
his servants to build that Temple, in 
the most perfect order, differing very 
much from the Temples that are 
now being built. You are engaged 
in building Temples after a certain 
order, approximating only to a celes- 
tial order; you are doing this in 
Salt Lake City. One already has 



been erected in St. George, after a 
pattern in part, of a celestial order. 
But by and bye, when we build a 
Temple that is never to be des- 
troyed, it will be constructed, after 
the most perfect order of the celes- 
tial worlds. And when God shaU 
take it up into heaven it will be 
found to be just as perfect as the 
cities of more ancient, celestial 
worlds which have been made pure 
and holy and immortal. So it will 
be with other Temples. And we, in 
order to build a Temple, after a 
celestial order in the fulness of per- 
fection, will need revelators and pro- 
phets in our midst, who will receive 
the word of the Lord ; who will have 
the whole pattern thereof given by 
revelation, just as much as every- 
thing was given by revelation per- 
taining to the tabernacle erected in 
the wilderness by Moses. Indeed, 
before we can go back to inherit this 
land in all its fulness of perfection, 
God has promised that he would 
raise up a man like unto Moses. 
Who this man will be I do not 
know ; it may be a person with 
whom we are entirely unacquainted ; 
it may be one of our infant children; 
it may be some person not yet born ; 
it may be some one of middle age. 
But suffice it to say, that God will 
raise up such a man, and he will 
show forth his power through him, 
and through the people that he will 
lead forth to inherit that country, 
as he did through our fathers in the 
wilderness. Did he then display his 
power by dividing the waters 1 Yes. 
I)id the mountains and land shake 
under his power] Yes. Did he 
speak to the people by his own 
voice ] YeSk Did he converse with 
Moses face to face ] Yes. Did he 
show him his glory ] Yes. Did he 
unfold to him in one moment more 
than all our schools and academies, 
and universities could give us in ten 



154 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



thousand years? Yes. God will 
assuredly raise up a man like unto 
Moses, and redeem his people, with 
an outstretched arm, as their fathers 
were redeemed, at the first, going 
before them with his own presence, 
and will also surround them by his 
angels. I expect, when that time 
comes, that man "svill understand all 
the particulars in regard to the 
Temple to be built in Jackson 
County. Indeed, we have already a 
part of the plan revealed, and also 
the plat explaining how the city of 
Zion is to be laid off, which may be 
found commencing on page 438, 
Volume 14 of the Millennial 
Star. From what has been 
revealed of this Temple to be erected 
we can readily perceive that it will 
differ from anything that we have 
had. It will differ in regard to the 
number of rooms ; it will differ yery 
much in its outward and also 
its inward form ; and it will 
differ in regard to the duties to be 
performed in each of its rooms to be 
occupied by the respective depart- 
ments of priesthood. This house 
will be reared, then according to a 
certain plan, which God is to make 
known to his servant whom he will, 
in his own due time, raise up. And 
he will have to give more revelation 
on other things equally as important, 
for we shall need instructions how 
to build up Zion ; how to estabhsh 
the centre city ; how to lay off the 
streets ; the kind of ornamental trees 
to adorn the sidewalks, as well as 
everything else by way of beautify- 
ing it, and makiug it a city of per- 
fection, as David prophetically calls 
it. 

And then God will come and 
visit it ; it will be a place where he 



will have his throne, where he will 
sit occasionally as King of Kings and 
Lord of Lords, and reign over his 
people who will occupy this great 
western continent ; the same as he 
will have his throne at Jerusalem. 
" Beautiful for situation, the joy of 
the whole earth is Mount Zion, on 
the sides of the north, the city of 
the great King." 

And again he says : 

" Out of Zion, the perfection of 
beauty, God hath shined." 

Does the Psalmist mean that God 
will shine literally out of Zioni 
Yes, shine with light that will he 
seen by the righteous and the 
wicked also. 

For fear of taking up too much ef . 
the time, I will bring my remarks to 
a close. I will say, however, I 
desire greatly that the Lord will 
bless the Latter-day Saints, and 
bless his servants that some, at 
least, may have the pleasure of 
entering into all the perfection of 
this glory, here in this temporal life'; 
while the more aged, the grayhairded 
and gray bearded like myself, will 
perhaps pass away, if the Lord re- 
quires it. And that our sons may 
rise up after us, being filled with the 
power and Spirit of God, to carry 
out his great and righteous purposes, 
even to completion. 

I pray God to bless the inhabi- 
tants «f Logan and those of the 
towns round about in this valley, 
and throughout all our mountain 
regions ; and that his peculiar bless- 
ings and favor may continue to 
attend us while we so-journ in these 
mountains, and go with us when 
Zion shall be redeemed in all its 
fulness. Amen. 



HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED, ETC, 



155 



DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR, 

Deuveiied in THE 14th Ward Mbeting House, Sunday Eveninqj 

December 7th, 1879. 



(Reported by John Irvine,) 



HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED — THE GOSPEL TO THE DEAD 
— ^VARIOUS DISPENSATIONS OF THE MOST HIGH TO MANKIND — POWEK 
OF THE PRIESTHOOD— RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL THROUGH JOSEPH 
SMITH — FAILINGS OF THE SAINTS — CORRUPTIONS OF THE WICKED. 



We meet together from time to 
time to speak, to hear, to reflect, to 
converse, and to exchange views in 
regard to the worship of Almighty 
God. There is something associated 
with these matters that has gene- 
rally attracted the attention of the 
human family in all ages, among 
all peoples, and under almost all 
eircuti: stances. There is and always 
has been a feeling of reverence exist- 
ing among the human family for a 
Divine Being of some kind and of 
some form, even amongst the most 
low and debased people of the earth. 
The position that we occupy in the 
world, our ideas of the mutability 
of affairs of time and sense, the 
continuous departure of one after 
another from this stage of existence 
to another, leads us, as well as other 
portions of the human family gene- 
rally, more or less to reflect upon 
those things pertaining to the future. 
Various ideas and theories have 
existed amongst different peoples. 
Some have worshipped a great 
variety of Gods of their own making, 
while others have followed the 
notions and theories of men in 
regard to certain doctrines formulas 
theories and ideas that have been 



promulgated among what would be 
termed the wise, the prudent, and 
the intelligent of the earth. But in 
relation to religious matters there is 
no one can have any true or correct 
conception of a hereafter unless it 
has been revealed by the Almighty, 
who alone is able to comprehend the 
end from the beginning and is 
acquainted with the position and 
destinies of men and of the world. 

We have had revealed to us 
from time to time, as manifested in 
the Scriptures, developed therein, 
many ideas pertaining to God and to 
futurity ; but any intelligence in re- 
gard to these matters was generally 
obtained directly from the Lord, or 
through the ministering of angels, 
or by the Spirit of prophecy and reve- 
lation given to them by the Al- 
mighty. And it is emphatically 
stated in the Scriptures that " the 
things of God knoweth no man but 
by the Spirit of God," and hence 
when men assume to comprehend 
principles pertaining to futurity, 
predicated upon the learning, the 
wisdom, the intelligence or the 
science of the world, they are always 
very much at fault. Who can com- 
prehend the Almighty or under- 



156 



JOURNAL OK DISCOURSES. 



stand his designs ) As one of old 
said, " It is high as heaven." What 
can'st thou know 1 "Deeper than 
hell.'* Who can penetrate its myste- 
ries 1 What really do we know? 
To commence with, who can under- 
stand the designs of God in relation 
to the organization of this world, or 
in relation to the position of man 
and his destiny 1 His past opera- 
tions, his present dealings with the 
nations and his designs in the 
future, to the uninspired, are all 
a profound enigma. Who knows 
^mything about it? We find all 
kinds of theories, notions and 
opinions in existence at the present 
day, but what do they amount to ? 
What would my unsupported opinion 
be worth, or what would anybody's 
opinion be in relation to these 
matters? It would amount to 
nothing. In regard to other princi- 
ples, of a more material nature that 
we are intimately associated with, 
there are certain facts that scientists 
and men of intellieence always wish 
to be demonstrated, and unless they 
are, they pay very little attention to 
any unsupported hypothesis. If this 
be true in regard to the known 
sciences, how much more particular 
should we be in regard to more 
important matters. Theories, hypo- 
theses, notions, dogmas and opinions 
amount to very little when associa- 
ted with the great and eternal prin- 
ciples connected with the welfare of 
mankind, and the salvation of a 
world. And hence we need some- 
thing higher, something of more 
intelligence than anything that man 
possesses to give unto us information 
pertaining to these matters. 

When God created the world and 
placed man upon it he had certain 
ideas and designs that were fixed, 
immutable, and eternal, they were 
based or predicated, in the most con- 
summate wisdom; the most profound 



intelligence ; the wisdom and intelli- 
gence, if you please, that dwells 
with the Gods. The or^nization of 
the heavens and the earth, the crea- 
tion of the world as we understand 
it, and also the creation of man and 
beast, fowl, fish and insect, and 
everything that exists upon the face 
of this earth. There was an object 
and design in relation to all these 
matters. We could know nothing 
about that, however, unless it had 
been revealed unto us, unless it had 
been communicated by the being 
who knows the end from the begin- 
ning, and who comprehends all 
things pertaining to the present con- 
dition as well as the past and the 
future destiny of the human family 
and of the world. 

Certain men in different ages have 
told us, so it is recorded here in the 
Bible, about certain communications 
which they had from the Almighty. 
They seemed to have a mode and 
manner of approaching him, and he 
in the various dispensations made 
choice of and selected individuals 
through whom and to whom he 
communicated his will to the human 
family. There is something very 
remarkable in regard to these things. 
There are many remarkable things 
in the old antediluvian history of 
the world, that we have only very 
imperfectly related to us in the 
Bible. We read, for instance, of a 
man by the name of Enoch — we are 
told in the Bible that -'Enoch walk- 
ed with God ; and he was not, for 
God took him." That is about all 
that is said about him except that 
he was a man that feared 
God. But Enoch, when we 
come to know more of his history 
from the revelations that have been 
given, we find, was a man that had 
communication with God from time 
to time. The Bible says be walked 
with God and was not, for Qod took 



HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINTED, ETC. 



157 



him, but in other revelations which 
we have received, we have an 
account of the kind of ministry that 
he had, the labors that he performed 
the preaching that he did, the mani- 
festation of the power of God on his 
behalf, and finally of his gathering 
together a large number of people. 
That lie built a city ; that in that 
city they were under the guidance, 
direction and control of the Al- 
mighty ; and that he and his city and 
people, or many of them, were 
translated, and hence as the Bible 
says, " he was not for God took 
him," and he also took the people 
that were with him, those that 
feared him and worked righteous- 
ness. 

There are other events associated 
with these matters which are very 
interesting when we come to examine 
them. The people had corrupted 
themselves very much, departed 
from the law of God, violated his 
ordinances, and committed all kinds 
of iniquity, so that, as the Bible 
tells us, all the thoughts of their 
hearts were only evil and that con 
tinually, and it repented the Lord 
that he had made man because of 
the wickedness and corruption that 
then existed. We have a very 
short account of this in ihe Scrip- 
tures, but through other means that 
have been communicated to us we 
have received a further knowledge 
of these matters ; for other men that 
embraced the Gospel in former ages 
became preachers of righteousness as 
well as £noch. They had the Spirit of 
the Gospel as Moses had it, as Jesus 
had it, and as we have it. They 
held communion with God and were 
under the inspiration of the 
Almighty, in their administration, 
and when they came together — 
those that feared Grod and worked 
rightidousness — ^they had visions and 
revelations and prophesied of events 



that should transpire. There were 
many prophets in those days and 
they prophesied of a prison house 
that God had prepared, told the peo- 
ple of the destruction that was 
coming upon the earth : that they 
should be swept off the face of the 
earth by the waters of the flood and 
that none should be spared except a 
few to perpetuate the name and fame 
of the Almighty and again propagate 
their species. This is a thing that 
has seemed very singular to some 
men who do not comprehend the 
designs of God, and they suppose 
that there was a degree of cruelty 
attached to the Almiglity in sweep- 
ing off the whole people of the land, 
with the exception of a veiy few. 
They assume to say there was a 
degree of injustice, cruelty and 
tyranny associated with it. How- 
ever, that is for want of an under- 
standing of correct principle, and the 
designs of the Almighty, and many 
conclusions that people arrive at, 
predicated upon the same ground — 
arise from a lack of understanding 
the principle that they talk about. 

There are some principles con- 
nected with these things which put 
matters in a very different light. 
When we understand the nature of 
man, when we consider that he is 
a dual being, that he is possessed of 
a body and spirit, that he is associa- 
ted with time and with eternity, 
that according to the Scriptures the 
spirits of all men were created before 
this world was made, and that G^d 
is the God and Father of the spirits 
of all flesh ; and being God and 
Father of the. spirits of all flesh, it 
was his right and his prerogative to 
dictate what should be done for the 
benefit of those spirits and his 
children that he had created here 
upon the earth. It was not a 
matter of theory, according to the 
opinions of men, but an immutable 



158 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



plan, according to the eternal wisdom 
of God as it existed in his bosom 
before the world was, or "before 
the morning stars sang together and 
all the sons of God shouted for joy." 
These spirits, that he was the father 
of, had their rights and privileges 
and immunities ; and as he had 
created man upon the earth or pre- 
pared a tabernacle, or a body, if you 
please, for these spirits to inhabit, it 
became his interest, as the Father of 
the human family, to look after 
their welfare. They had been led 
aside by the influence of Satan and 
had corrupted themselves and 
departed from correct principles, 
and violated the law of God, and 
became degraded and sunken in 
iniquity and infamy. Now, suppose 
we take ourselves back into the 
presence of our FatheV, and looking 
down upon these degraded wretches 
that inhabited the earth at that 
time, would we not turn to our 
Father as a just Grod and say, 
" Father, do you see the corruption, 
the degradation, the infamy and the 
evil that exists and permeates the 
world of mankind r '*Yes, yes, of 
course I see it." "Is it just that 
our spirits should be condemned to 
go and inhabit the bodies of these 
men, or of their seed, that are so 
£ftllen, so degraded and so corrupt, 
and whose actions and operations are 
80 at variance with thee and thy 
laws 1 Is it just and equitable that 
we should go and be mixed up with 
these infamies and be led astray like 
them into the paths of vice and 
sofTer for things that we have not 
done and could not help ourselves 
in ; is it just 1" "Why, no it is not^ 
and I will cut them off j and as 
they possess the power of propa- 
gating their species upon the earth, 
I. will stop that power by a flood 
and raise up another people, that 
Joatice may be done you, my sons 



and daughters, and that the judge 
of all the earth may do right." 
When we look at things in that 
point of view, it places them in ano- 
ther position from what they would 
appear otherwise, and justifies the 
ways of God with man. 

Now, when this event took place, 
people were cast into the pit, into 
the prisons, as it had before been 
said that they should be. Well, 
what about thati Trace things for- 
ward to the time that Jesus appeals 
upon the earth, and we see something 
then pertainingto these very individu- 
als, in the actsof the Almighty, as they 
transpired at that time. When 
Jesus accomplished his work, when 
he had fulfilled the mission that he 
had to do here upon the earth, and 
when he was put to death in the 
flesh and quickened by the Spirit, 
he went and preached to the spirits 
in prison " that some time were dis 
obedient when once the long suffer- 
ing of God waited in the days of 
Noah ;" and although they had 
suffered the wrath of Almighty God, 
he who had come to • proclaim 
deliverance to the captive, to open 
the prison doors to those that were 
bound, to release them and to pro- 
claim the acceptable time of the 
Xiord, he went to them as their 
Savior, in common with others, and 
preached the Gospel unto them. 
Hence we find the acts of God jus- 
tified in relation to these matters, 
and while he had power to destroy, 
while he had power to send them to 
prison, he aUo had power to con- 
ceive a plan for their deliverance 
therefrom, when the time should 
come that they should be delivered 
after they had suffered sufficiently 
for the crimes, evib and iniquities 
that they had committed upon the 
earth. There are many singular 
things associated with theto matters 
that mea do not really comprehend. 



HOW A KN'OWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED, ETC. 



159 

' : J 



We come again to another promi- 
nent character; that is Abraham,' a 
very remarkable man in his day and 
age ; although at the present time 
men look upon him as a kind of an 
old shepherd, a man that attended 
flocks and herds and sheep, a sort of 
herdsman and a shepherd ; and 
there was very little of him anyhow 
except that he lived in his day al- 
most as a barbarian. That is the 
opinion that many men have formed 
of him — that he was something like 
our backwoodsmen, some of our 
farmers who have not mixed up 
with the ^lite of society, or made 
themselves familiar with the intelli- 
gence that pervades the world. I 
look upofh' hltti as another character 
entirely, imA from information that 
we can gather from revelations that 
have been referred to, we find that 
there was something very peculiar 
about him. We read his history 
and we find that he was a man that 
sought after rightousness, that he 
desired to obtain more righteousness, 
that he examined the records of his 
fathers, that he found in examining 
the records, tracing them back 
through the flood, clear away back 
unto Adam's day, he found many 
circumstances that were connected 
with maiikind, not only to Adam's 
day, but before the world was. In 
doing this, amon^ other things, he 
found he had a nght to the priest- 
hood. I need not stop to tell you 
what that is, you Latter-day Saints. 
You understand it ia the rule and 
government of (Jod, whether in the 
heavens or on the earth, and when 
we talk of the kingdom of God we 
talk of something that pertains to 
rule, government, authority and do- 
ihinion ; and that priesthood is the 
ruling principle that e^dsts in the 
keavfens or on the earth, associated 
Wth the aflfairs of God. Hence, we 
art told iri'thie Scriptttres that Chiidt 



was a priest forever after the order 
of Melchisedec. Then of what order 
was Melchisedec "? A priest for ever 
after the order of the Son of God, 
for if Christ was after the order of 
Melchisedec, Melchisedec must have 
been after the order of Christ, as a 
necessary consequence. Very well 
Now, then, in relation to that priest- 
hood it was something that mini- 
stered in time and through eternity ; 
it was a principle that held the keys of 
the mysteries of the revelations of 
God, and was intimately associated 
with the Gospel, and the Gospel, 
wherever it existed, was in posses- 
sion of this priesthood ; and it could 
not exist without it. It always 
" brought life and immortality to 
light." The notions and opinions 
and religions of man generally are 
altogether devoid of a principle of 
that kind, they know nothing about 
it. Whenever men are placed in 
communication with God and are in 
possession of the Gospel of the Son of 
God, it brings life and inmiortality 
to light, and places them in relation- 
ship with God that other men know 
nothing about. 

They were spoken of in former 
times as the "sons of God." " Now 
are we the sons of God, and it doth 
not yet appear what we shall be ; but 
we know that, when he shall appear, 
we shall be like him : for we shall 
see him as he is." It was this priest- 
hood that would be the means of 
introducing him into the presence of 
God that Abraham found that he 
was a rightful inheritor of, according 
to his lineage and descent, and he 
applied for an ordination, which he 
received, according to the revelation 
given unto us, and with that ordina- 
tion the powers, the blessings, the 
light, intelligence and revelation as- 
socij^ied with the Gospel of the Son 
of God. And what then 1 The next 
that we read of is that he had the 



r 



160 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



Urim and Thummim, and thus he 
sought unto God for himself, and 
while searching unto him, God re- 
vealed himself unto Abraham and 
said : "I will bless them that bless 
thee, and curse them that curseth 
thee, and in thee shall all famiUes of 
the earth be blessed." There is 
something very remarkable about 
this when we reflect upon it, and 
when we examine the position that 
he occupied, and that his seed occu- 
pied, we can see the fulfillment of 
these things. Afterwards, the Lord 
revealed himself to him from time to 
time, communicated his will to him, 
and he was made acquainted with 
the designs of the Almighty. The 
Lord showed unto him the order of 
the creation of this earth on which 
we stand, and revealed unto him 
some of the greatest and most sub- 
lime truths that ever were made 
known to man. He got these through 
revelation from God and through the 
medium of the Gospel of the Son of 
God. 

Well, let us look a little at the 
fulfillment of some of these things. 
'^ 1 will bless them that bless thee ; 
and in thee shall all families of the 
earth be blessed." We read some- 
time afterwards of Isaac and Jacob. 
Jacob had communication with God. 
The Lord appeared unto him from 
time to time, and revealed his pur- 
poses and designs unto him. Abra- 
ham prophesied that the children of 
Israel should be in bondage in Egypt 
for 400 years, that after that time 
they should be delivered; and Moses 
was raised up as a deliverer and he 
conversed with God. He saw a bush 
that burned with fire, and the bush 
was not consumed. He afterwards 
conversed with the Lord upon mount 
Sinai, and received tables of stone 
written upon by the finger of God, 
which were the commandments of 
the Lord to the children of Israel. 



And who was Moses ] A descend- 
ant of Abraham. 

We also read of prophets who, by 
the spirit of inspiration, could draw 
aside the dark vail of futurity and 
penetrate into the invisible world, 
and contemplate the purposes of 
God as they should roll forth in after 
ages in all their majesty and power 
and glory. And who Jwere they 1 
They were the seed of Abraham. 
We read that Jesus, also, who was 
the Son of God, was bom of the seed 
of Abraham according to the flesh. 
Who were His apostles 1 The seed 
of Abraham. Then there were 
Nephi, Lehi, Ishmael and others 
who came from the land of Jerusa- 
lem to this continent according to 
the Book of Mormon. Who were 
they? The seed of Abraham. There 
were also the Twelve Apostles called 
and set apart upon this continent, 
who went forth by the power and 
Spirit of God, aided by intelligence 
and revelation such as they never 
had on the other continent. Who 
were they 1 The seed of AbrahauL 
*' In thee shall all the families of the 
, earth be blessed;" — not cursed; that 
was not whiat the priesthood of God 
was introduced for, but to spread 
light, truth, and intelligence, to un- 
fold unto mankind the ways, pur- 
poses and designs of God, to msJce 
man acquainted with his origin, 
his position in life and his future 
destiny ; and to make him. 
acquainted, as an eternal, intelligent 
being, with things past, with things 
present, and with things, to come. 
This is what Jesus taught them on 
the continent of America. " It is 
expedient for you that I go away, 
for if I go not away the comiorter 
will not come unto you ;" which i& 
the Spirit of God. And what shall 
it do 1 It shall bring things past to 
your remembrance. You shall be 
made acquainted with the actions 



HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED, ETC, 



161 



of the ancient principles and 
of God in ages that have pre- 
ceded you. It shall lead unto all 
truth. You shall comprehend all 
matters that are necessary for you 
to know by the light, intelligence, 
and revelation which flows from 
God. And what else shall it do ] 
It shall show you of thiags to come. 
It shall draw aside the vail of the. 
invisible world. It shall make you 
acquainted with the things pertain- 
ing to eternity, and you will be 
enabled to square your lives accord- 
ing to the eternal principles of 
intelligence as it dwells in the bosom 
of God, and as the Holy Ghost will 
make known and reveal unto you. 
It is this priceless treasure that is 
spoken of that we possess in earthen 
vessels " that ye are came," says 
Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews, 
"unto Mount Zion, and unto the 
city of the living God, the heavenly 
Jerusalem, and to the enumerable 
company of angels. To the general 
assembly of the first born which 
are written in heaven, and lo God 
the judge of all, and to the spirits 
of just men made perfect. And to 
Jesus the mediator of the new cove- 
nant and to the blood of sprinkling, 
that speaketh better things than 
that of Abel.;*' Thi^ is what the 
Gospel does for you. it brings life 
and immortality to light. 

These are some, of the leading, 
prominent pi^inciples as they have 
existed heretofore, along, with thou- 
sands, of others that we have not 
time to mention or touch upon this 
evening. 

Now, we will come to other events, 
of later date ; events with which we 
are associated-^I refer now to the 
time that Joseph Smith came among 
men. What was his position 1 and 
how was he situated? I can tell 
you what he told me about it. He 
saijl that he was very ignorant of 

No. 11. 



the ways, designs and purposes of 
God, and knew nothing about them; 
he was a youth unacquainted with 
religious matters or the systems and 
theories of the day- He went to 
the Lor(i, having read James* state- 
ment, that " If any of you lacl? 
wisdom let him ask of God that, 
giveth to all men liberally and 
upbraideth not ; and it shall be 
given him.*' He believed that state- 
ment and went to the Lord and ask- 
ed him, and the Lord revealed him- 
self to him together with his Son 
Jesus, and, pointing to the latter, 
said : "This is my beloved Son, hear 
him.** He. then asked in regard to 
the various religions with which he 
was surrounded. He enquired 
which of them was right, for he 
wanted to know the right way and 
to walk in it. He was told that 
none of them was right, that they 
had all departed from the right way. 
that they had forsaken God the 
fountain of living waters, and hew- 
ed them out cisterns, broken cis- 
terns, that could hold no water. 
Afterwards the Angel Moroni came 
to him and revealed to him the Book; 
of Mormon, with the history of which^ 
you are generally familiar, and aU|o • 
with the statemeiits that I am now/ 
making pertoiniiig to these things./ 
And then came Nephi, one of the 
ancient prophets, that had lived., 
upon this continent, who had an 
interest in the welfare of the people » 
that he had lived amongst in tho^e 
days. 

But how is it* ill relation to these 
people and in regard to some of' 
these matters I Why and hpw^ 
shoul4 these, ihen that have lived, 
here upon the eartSb haVe anythii;ig 
to do with the.pebple that now live- 
upon itt You ''Latter-day Saints., 
ought to be ,acqUainted with these,| 
matters, and I suppose you are,; bu^ ♦ 
I win show one or two princt"! 



162 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



pies here in case, peradventure, there 
may be those present who have not 
thought or reflected properly upon 
the subject. TheMelchisedec Priest- 
hood, we are told by Paul, is without 
beginning of days or end of years. 
He speaks of Melchisedec as a man 
^'without father, without mother, 
without descent." Now, he would 
be a very singular man, according to 
our idea of things, without father or 
mother, without beginning of days 
or end of years, but it was the priest- 
hood of which he spake in contra- 
distinction to the priesthood of 
Aaron. He was then among the 
Jews. The Jews beheved in the 
Aaronic priesthood ; but they knew 
very little or nothing about the 
Melchisedec priesthood, and a man 
to be a priest of Aaron must be a 
literal descendant of Aaron, and of 
the tribe of Levi, and he must be 
able to prove his lineage from the 
records. But in contra-distinction to 
this priesthood there was the priest- 
hood of Melchisedec, hence we come 
to account for some of these things 
of which I have been speaking. 
And now I will go a little further in 
regard to this matter. I find, for 
instance, a man by the name of 
Moses who lived at a certain time to 
•whom I have referred. I find ano- 
ther man by the name of Elijah, who 
was a great prophet and who had 
gr«at power with God, among other 
things in controling the elements, in 
shutting up the heavens and in 
a^ain opening them by his prayer of 
faith under certain circumstances, 
which it is not necessary for us now 
to enter into. We find that when 
Jesus was here upon the earth he 
ascended a mount with his disciples, 
Peter, James and John, and there 
appeared unto them Moses and 
Jmioh, in great glory. Peter, turning 
to Jesus, said, " Ijord, it is good for 
lis tp be here, if thou wilt, let us 



make here three tabernacles, one for 
thee and one for Moses, and one for 
Elias." Now then, the question 
arises. What was Moses doing here? 
What was Elias doing here 'i Where 
had they come froml Why, they 
had the Gospel. The Gospel is an 
everlasting Gospel as spoken of in 
the Scriptures, and associated with 
that Gospel is the priesthood 
that administers in time and in 
eternity. And Moses, who had 
led the children of Israel out of , the 
land of Egypt, and had conversed 
with God and given the law of the 
Lord unto the people, with 
Elias the prophet, who was also a 
man of God — the Melchisedec priest- 
hood, which held the keys of the 
mysteries of God, and it ministers in 
time and in eternity. Both of these 
men had ministered on the earth, 
and, holding that priesthood in the 
heavens they came to minister to 
Jesus, and to Peter, James and 
John, upon the earth. There is 
nothing very remarkable about that. 
We come again to John on the 
Isle of Patmos, where he had been 
banished because of his religion. I 
do not know whether he was a prac- 
tical polygamist or not ; but his 
religion was very much opposed te 
the ideas and theories of the people 
in that day. He was a Christian 
and he dared to fear God and keep 
his commandments, and they banish- 
ed him to the Isle of Patmos, that 
he might labor amongst the slaves 
there in the lead mines. But while 
there, being in possession of the 
light, the truth, the intelligence and 
revelation that proceeeded from God, 
he gazed upon the purposes of Gtxl 
as they should roll forth in a subse- 
quent period of time, and he con- 
templated the position of man in the 
various ages of the world unto the 
time that the heavens and the eartk 
should pass away ; when there 



HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS QBTAINTED, ETC. 



163 



should " be a new heaven and a new 
earth whereon dwelt righteousness." 
He gazed upon all these things and 
fell down at the feet of the angel to 
worship him, whereupon the angel 
said, *' See thou do it not ; I am thy 
fellow servant, and of thy brethren 
that have the testimony of Jesus ; 
worship God, for the testimony 
of Jesus is the spirit of pro- 
phecy." In other words : " I was 
like you once, on the earth, perse- 
cuted, cast out, condemned, despised 
had every kind of opprobrium and 
approach cast upon me ; wandered 
about in sheepskins and goatskins, 
destitute, afflicted, tormented ; 
wandered in deserts and mountains, 
and dwelt in dens and caves of the 
earth. I am one of thy fellow 
servants the prophets, I have fought 
the good fight, finished my course, I 
have kept the faith, I was true to 
my covenants, my God, and my 
priesthood, and I come now to 
minister to you." Again who more 
likely than Mormon and Nephi, and 
some of those prophets who had 
ministered to the people upon this 
continent, under the influence of the 
same Gospel, to operate again as its 
representatives'? Who more likely 
than those who had officiated in the 
holy Melchisedec priesthood to 
administer to Joseph Smith and 
reveal unto him the great principles 
which were developed 1 

Now, then what has he revealed ? 
Anything new 1 Why, yes ; a new 
Crospel ; but an everlasting Gospel. 
What is it that John said he saw 1 
^'I saw another angel fly in the 
midst of heaven having the ever- 
lasting Gospel to preach to them 
that dwell upon the earth, and to 
every nation, and kindred, and 
tongue, and people, saying with a 
loud voice, fear.God, and give glory 
to him, for the hour of his judgment 
is come." Did John see that among 



other things 9 Has it come to passi 
Yes, it has, '' And in thee shaU all 
the families of the earth be blessed." 
Who Was Joseph Smith ? The Book 
of Mormon tells us he was of the 
seed of Joseph that was sold into 
Egypt, and hence he was selected as 
Abraham was to fulfil a work upon 
the earth. God chose this young 
man. He was ignorant of letters as 
the world has it, but the most pro- 
foundly learned and intelligent man 
that I ever met in my life, and I 
have traveled hundreds of thousands 
of miles, been on different continents 
and mingled among all classes and 
creeds of people, yet I have never 
met a man so intelligent as he was. 
And where did he get his intelli- 
gence from ] Not from books ; jiot 
from the logic or science or philo- 
sophy of the day, but he obtained it 
through the revelation of God made 
known to him through the medium 
of the everlasting Gospel. Now. 
people who are ignorant of these 
things are ready to point the finger 
of scorn, and heap contumely and 
reproach upon him and upon others 
who dare have the hardihood, as 
they say, to express the same kind 
of sentiments that he did. I dare 
do it ! I have done it among tho 
nations of the earth, and dare do it 
to-day before any man or any set of 
men that the world can produce, and 
I defy them to successfully contra- 
vert or overturn any principle that 
God has revealed through the Gospel 
of the Son of God in these last daysl 
But could Joseph Smith help 
being selected of Godi There is, 
to say the least of it, an intelligence 
displayed that the world knows 
nothing of. Is that to be despised I 
fs that to be regretted ? Was he the 
enemy of man ? No ; no more than 
Abraham was; no more than the 
prophets were ; no more than Jesus 
I was j but could Abraham, or the pro- 



1G4 



joukkAl of discouusss. 



phets Imow what God was going to 
dcflioailkd of them 1 Nt), they could 
nol* And if they could not, if they 
were to tell a truth that God has 
revealed to them, would Aeir tell- 
ing it make it a falsehood 1 I think 
not. It was an unplesusant thing for 
a man. to rise up and tell-the people 
thtjy were wrong. To go to our 
divines — our right reverend divines 
— and their followers and tell them 
they were all out of the way ! I 
expect, they would be no more 
satisfied with such a meseage than 
the: same class were with the teach- 
ings of Jesus when he spoke of the 
Scribes and Pharisees and called 
them hypocrites, like unto whited 
sepulchres which appeared fair on 
the Qutside to men, but inwardly 
they were nothing but rottenness 
and dead men's bones. This was 
not very palatable for some of the 
wise of the Jews and some of the 
leading men of that day who pro- 
fessed such a great amount of piety. 
But he came to tell them the truth, 
not to speak his own words but the 
words of his Father who sent him 
and to communicate those great 
piiociples which God had revealed 
to;him. . 

Well, . now, do I believe that 
Joseph Smith saw the several angels 
alfeged to have been seen by. him as 
described, one after another 1 Yes, 
I do. Why do I believe it? Be- 
ca))se I obeyed this Gospel. And 
what was there connected with the 
obeying of it? What was the 
Gqi^l that he taught] Precisely 
thygilsame as that that Jesus and his 
disciples taught both on the conti- 
nen% of Asia and on this continent. 
"What did he do 1 Why, says he to 
his disciples ; " Go ye into all the 
WQjrld and preach the Gospel to 
ev^wcy qreature." Was he an enemy 
of ..mankind? I thii^k not. Go 
untQ all. the world and tell them, of 



the love of God to man, preach th& 
Gospel to every creature, and, •* her 
that believeth and is baptized shall 
be saved ; but he that believeth not 
shall be danmed." What else? 
" And these signs shall follow them 
that believe ; in my name they shall 
cast out devils ; they shall speak 
with new tongues. They shall take 
up serpents, and if they drink any 
deadly thing it shall not hurt them; 
they shall lay hands on the sick and 
they shall recover." Here was 
something practicable, something 
real, something intelligent, some- 
thing that was worthy of a God,, 
communicated by the Son of God 
for the welfare of the human family. 

What have we now? Ideaa^ 
notions, theories, opinions, hypo- 
theses, and all the various confusion 
of ideas and notions, but no man to 
say "thus saith the Lord." They 
used to say " thus saith the L©rd ;" 
they had the word of God for the 
people, and not the opinions and 
creeds and notions and fancies of 
men. 

The Lord has restored the same 
Spirit by which we know of the 
truth of the principles declared by 
Joseph Smith and by others. I 
know it and .80 do you, many of you,, 
who hear me. Was it an injury to 
the world in the days of Jesus for 
his disciples to go and proclaim saL-*- 
vation? I think liot Is it an 
injury to the people to-day for us to 
proclaim the same Gospel to the 
world ? i think not. You can find 
very few people who will do what 
thousands of our elders have done — 
go out without purse'<»r scrip to pro- 
claim the glad tidings of salvation,, 
things that they not only believe in 
but know for themselves before God 
that they are true — go out as the 
friends of mankind to publish the 
same. Gospel undeof the same 
djuthority that others h^ in former 



HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED, ETC. 



1C5 



ages. Did they prosecute and per- 
oiieeute tixen in former dgee? They 
rxiid. Why 1 . Was iit^.l^ecaltt^ they 
;Hf^re ti^icked^iEtiid ooixfapt] ' No j/it 
iras b^aase. they darea to tell a 
corrupt world that Gk)d had spoken, 
?that . light and truth had been 
revealed from heaven, thf^t the Son 
of God had Appeared and that if 
they would repent of their sins and 
be baptized for the remiaaion of them, 
they should receive the Holy Ghost, 
that should take of the things of 
God and show them unto them. 
That was the doctrine they taught ; 
that is the doctrine that we teach. 
Is there anything very remarkable 
about iti Yes, very remarkable. 
Is there a people that dare say what 
the Elders of the Latter-day Saints 
dare say to the world *? I think not. 
What have these elders done, many 
of whom are herel Gone to the 
•ends of the earth without purse or 
scrip proclaiming the Gospel of the 
Son of God. And what did they 
tell the people to do? To repent 
and be baptized for the remission of 
their sins and to have hands laid 
upon them for the reception of the 
Holy Ghost ; and you do the same ; 
you baptize them when they believe 
in the name of the Father, and of 
the Son and of the Holy Ghost. 
And what does a name mean? 
Power and authority. Supposing a 
man was to come here as Governor 
or Secretary, or holding any other 
office under the government of the 
United States ; he comes in the 
name of the United States, or by the 
power or authority of the United 
States, does he not? Yes. But 
supposing some of you was to set 
up here as Governor, they would 
want to see your credentials and 
know by what authority you came 
here and whether you were appoint- 
ed by the legitimate authorities of 
the United States or nob. If not. 



they would pay no attention toy<:^; 
they would look^p^nypujwji v^^ 
qQ;Damoar<(>W^^ . /ooliah / indiyi^mil, 
and^mbreverp .t^y wp)44)^ l^Rp^ 
UpcHi yoii ;as a fr9.ud. Well, the^if 
God does not send 'men, of coi^xse 
they caQnot act under the authorji^y 
of God j: if they do, they act fraudu- 
lently. Now, how .can men go]in 
the name of God when they tell you 
that God has never spoken for the 
last eighteen hundred years, and 
that h« does not now reveal himseJfl 
That beic^ the case, how then ^ftn 
they go forth in the name of God 1 
I do not know ; it is a mystery to 
me : these people possess some 
mysteries wMch I cannot fathom, 
and that is one of them. I know of 
only three ways of obtaining autho- 
rity of that kind — one is by lineal 
descent, another by writing, and a 
third by speaking. Now, then, if 
we can find no record among the 
people who profess to teach in the 
name of God, and they do not pro- 
fess to have a lineal descent, and 
they even hold that God has not 
spoken for eighteen hundred years 
— they place themselves in a very 
awkward position. But when you 
come to understand, to fully compre- 
hend the priesthood held by our 
forefathers, you can see by what 
authority the Holy priesthood is 
conferred upon you. Well, then, 
where did you get this authority 
from — ^from the world 1 No, the 
world did not have it to give, and 
consequently you could not get it 
from them ; and if God has not 
spoken, if the angel of God has not 
appeared to Joseph Smith, and if 
these things are not true of which 
we speak, then the whole thing is an 
imposture from beginning to end. 
There is no half-way house, no 
middle path about the matter ; it is 
either one thing or the other. Now 
you go forth to the nations of the 



166 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



earth in the name of the Lord, I 
appeal to jou elders, you contradict 
me if you can->and when people 
belleye and have been baptized, you 
lay yonr hands upon them in the 
name of the Lord, and you say unto 
them " Receive ye the Holy Ghost," 
and they receive it, do they noti 
They do, and you are my witnesses 
of that. And what does the Holy 
Ghost do 1 It takes of the things of 
God and shews them unto us. Can 
we conceive of a greater principle, 
of one more majestic, and grand, 
and noble, and exalted. What is 
man 1 A poor feeble worm of the 
earth, goiog forth in the name of 
God to call upon the human family 
to repent and be baptized for a 
remission of their sins, and after 
the name of God, he lays his hands 
upon their head, for the reception of 
the Holy Ghost. Who gives iti 
God, and it is the greatest evidence 
that exists upon the face of the 
whole earth ; no men anywhere have 
an evidence like that which is given 
from the Almighty. It did not 
come from us, it did not come from 
Joseph Smith, though he was the 
medium through which those things 
were communicated ; it did not come 
from Brigham Young, it did not 
come from me or any other indiv- 
idual ; it comes as the free gift of 
God according to the eternal laws of 
the everlasting Gc^spel. 

Now, then, here we are. We find 
ourselves in this position, having 
entered into these principles, we 
believe in them and aie willing to be 
governed by them. 

The Lord, however, has revealed 
many other great and important 
principles to us, and among these 
the eternal covenant between man 
and woman. Did Joseph reveal 
that principle 1 Yes, he did. Do 
you know it ? Yes, 1 do know it ; 
it nobody else knows it, I do. Did 



he tell you of it 1 Yes, he did ; but 
I have had other manifestations be- 
sides that, and therefore I know of 
what I speak, and I know the prin- 
ciple is of God. Now there are 
some people who tell us we are veiy 
wicked. Are wet Why, yes, in 
many respects we are. But not in 
that ! not in that ! not in that ! 
Are we careless ? Are we indiffer- 
ent 1 Are we covetous? Do we 
love the world more than we ought 
to do, and allow our minds, our feel- 
ings and affections to be carried 
away by the transitory things of 
time and sense 1 Yes, yes, to our 
shame, in many instances, be it 
spoken; this is true. Do we violate 
in many instances the great princi- 
ples that God has revealed? We 
do, to our shame be it spoken, many 
of us ; but we do not violate the law 
of God nor tlie laws of chastity in 
that thing. Well, what are we to 
do ? God has revealed a principle 
to us ; do we know it 1 Yes. Do I 
know it] Yes. Do youl Yes^ 
yes, a very great many of you that 
are here and hear me speak know it 
But does the Congress of the United 
States know it? No. Does the 
Supreme court know it ? No ; they 
cannot know of the things of God 
but by the Spirit of God. Do they 
know anything about eternal rela- 
tionship and perpetuity in the eternal 
world ? No, they do not, they are 
ignorant of the principle, they know 
nothing about it, and w» did not 
until it was revealed to us. Now^ 
then, what is to be done 1 They 
place us in a position like this; God 
says this is an eternal law associated 
with the eternal perpetuity of lives 
in time and throughout the eterni- 
ties that are to come ; that a man 
having a wife must have her sealed 
to him for time and for all eternity. 
Why, long ago we have heard of a 
religion to live by but none to die 



HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED, ETC. 



167 



by ; none that could reach to the 
other side of the vail and prepare U8 
for eternal associations and eternal 
lives in the eternal world, or eterni- 
ties that are to come. But this 
principle involves that thing and 
places us in this position : Grod says 
" Go and obey my law." Congress 
say "No, you shall not doit." Now 
the question is — ^who shall we obey? 
We would like to be in accord with 
Congress. We would like to sub- 
mit ourselves to every ordinance of 
man. We would like to be good 
and peaceable citizens, which we are. 
We don't wish, however, to follow 
their corruptions — don't we know 
enough of them ? Yes, we do. We 
know a good deal more about them 
than they know about us. We know 
their crimes, we know their 
licentiousness, we know of the 
miUions of murders that are perpe- 
trated by mothers and fathers of 
children and they know it. Many 
of these murders are committed 
while the children are pre-natal; 
they kill them either before or after 
they are born, just as it happens. 
We also know of this horrible social 
evil that exists among them, and of 
the corruption, degradation and rot- 
tenness that exist in their midst. 
And as I have said to some of them 
sometimes, " You come from these 
dens of infamy, reeking with corrup- 
tion and rottenness, steeped in crime 
and bloodshed and you will come 
here, will you, and teach morality to 
" us ? Go home, attend to your own 
business, cleanse yourselves from 
your corruptions, for they are a 
stink in the nostrils of Jehovah, and 
of all honest men, and don't come to 
set us right in regard to things that 
God has given us to do, and which 



with the help of the Lord we will 
carry out." 

Now, these are our feelings in 
relation to these matters. This 
Gospel reveals to us, as it did in 
former days, the light and intelli- 
gence of God. It opens up the 
visions of eternity ; it places us in 
conununication with the Lord. It 
prepares us for life and for death 
and for exaltation, and we are going 
to go on with our temples and 
administer in them in the name of 
the Lord. We shall enter therein 
and be baptized for the living and 
the dead and stand as saviors upon 
Mount Zion, and let the world wal- 
low in corruption and follow the 
evil desires of their hearts, let them 
pursue their own course, fighting, if 
they please, against the Zion of our 
God, but the Lord will be after them 
and they will know before they get 
through that there is a God that 
rules in the heavens and he will say 
to them as he did to the waves of 
the mighty deep, ^Miitherto thou 
shall come but no further, and here 
shall thy proud waves be stayed." 

What, then, shall we do 1 Fear 
God, be faithful, be honest and up- 
right and full of integrity and truth- 
fulness ; shun evil of every kind, 
preserve our bodies and spirits pure, 
maintain our covenants before Qodp 
and he will smile upon us, he will be 
on the side of right, and his king- 
dom will grow and increase and 
spread until the kingdoms of this 
world shall become the kingdoms of 
our God and his Christ, whose right 
it is to rule for ever and ever. 

May God help us to be faithful in 
keeping his commandments that we 
may be saved in his kingdom, is my 
prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen. 



168 



JOURNA.L OF DISCOURSES 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT, 

Delivered In The Tabbrnacw:, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, 

September 21st, 1879.. 



(Eepoiied by John Irvine,) 



THE BOOK OF MORMON AN AUTHENTIC RECORD. 



If the congregation will give their 
attention, I M^ill read a portion of 
the word of God, given in these last 
days, dated March, 1829 — a portion 
of revelation — through the Prophet, 
and Seer, and Revelator, Joseph 
Smith, in Harmony, Susquehanna 
County, Pennsylvania, a little over 
one year before the rise of this 
Church, commencing with the 10th 
Terse: 

" But this generation shall have 
my 'v^ord through you ; and in addi- 
tion to your testimony, the testimony 
of three of my servants, whom I 
shall call and ordain, — unto whom I 
will show these things ; and they 
shall go forth with my words that 
are given through you ; yea, they 
shall know of a surety, that the.^e 
things are true, for from heaven will 
I declare it unto them. I will give 
them power that they may behold 
and view these things as they are, 
and to none else will I grant this 
power, to receive this same testi- 
mony, among this, generation, in this 
the beginning of the rising up and 
the coming forth of my Church out 
of the wilderness : clear as the moon, 
and fair as the sun, and terrible as 
any army with banners. And the 
testimony of three witnesses will I 
send forth of my word ; and behold 



whosoever believeth on my word, 
them will I visit with the manifest- 
ation of my Spirit, and they shall be 
born of me, even of water and of the 
Spirit. And you must wait yet a 
little while, for ye are not yet or- 
dained ; and their testimony shall 
also go forth unto the condemnation 
of this generation, if they harden 
their hearts against them; for a 
desolating scourge shall go forth 
among the inhabitants of the earth, 
and shall continue to be poured out 
until the earth is empty, and the 
inhabitants thereof are consumed 
away and utterly destroyed by the 
brightness of my coming. Behold, 
I tell you these things, even as I 
also told the people of the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, and my word shall 
be verified at this time as it hath 
hitherto been verified." 

Fifty- two years shall liave passed 
to-morrow since the Lord permitted 
his holy angel to descend from heaven 
and commit into the care and charge 
of Joseph Smith, a young man, 
plates which had the appearance of 
gold, filled with engravings. He 
obtained these plates on the 22nd 
day of September in the year 1827, 
being then not quite twenty-two 
years of age. This young man was 
not learned, like those educated in 



THE BOOKO* MOllMON, ETC. 



•m9 



colleges and theological institutions; 
indeed, he was a farrier's boy, tinac- 
quainted with the^ai'gilments, ^nd 
'the tenets, and^the^'fcrfeeds, ^and the 
institutions of religion that existed 
around him, except what he had 
heard from time to time, in the 
neighborhood where his father resid- 
ed ; a young man not versed in the 
Scriptures any more than most of the 
common lads of that age. And we 
all know that there are but a very 
few among farmers that have the 
opportunity of informing their minds 
at so early a period — at the age of 
twenty-one — in regard to the doc- 
trines and prophecies contained in 
the Scripture. 

You may, some of you, wonder, 
perhaps, why the Lord should select 
an instrument of this kind ; why he 
did not take a person, more qualified 
by education, more experienced in 
the doctrines taught among the 
human family, more ponversant with 
the Bible. You perhaps, may think 
in your own mind that if you had 
had the selection of the individual to 
begin the work of the establishment 
Qf the kingdom of God on the earth 
in the last days, and you had follow- 
ed the best wisdom you had on the 
subject, that you certainly would 
have selected a person well trained 
and skilled in the different doctrines 
of the day. But the Lord does not 
see as man sees, his thoughts are not 
like our thoughts, neither are his 
ways like our ways. Hence he chose 
a man unconnected with any of the 
religious societies ot the day — un- 
taught in the Scriptures and doctrines 
of the different religious denomina- 
tions — he selected a man of his own 
choice, as he had frequently done in 
former ages of the world. 

We all recollect the selection that 
the Lord made in relation to David, 
when he was called to be king of the 
House of Israel, and anointed for 



thit purpose. There were, I think, 
s^ven 15irethi*en older than David, — 
lAeh of fair appearance, men of ex- 
perietlce, — men that probably tfheir 
neighbors, their acquaintances, would 
have selected either one of them in 
preference to the youth that was 
tending the sheep. But Samuel, 
being a prophet of the Lord, when 
these certain brethren came up before 
him, said : " The Lord hath not 
chosen him," and continued to say 
so until all the seven had passed by, 
and then the inquiry was made, " Is 
there not another f* "Why, yes, 
there is a boy ; but he is keeping his 
fxther*s sheep." " Send and fetch 
him," said the Prophet Samuel. He 
was brought in, — he was goodly to 
look upon, but he was simply a 
youth, untrammelled with the tradi- 
tions around him, but yet an honest- 
hearted boy. The Lord chose him, 
the anointing oil was poured upon 
his head, and he was appointed to be 
the future king of Israel. 

Now, the Lord did not have any 
prophets in the year 1827 on all the 
face of the earth. There was no 
Samuel existing, no person who had 
the spirit of prophecy ; consequently 
the Lord, instead of sending a Sam- 
uel, sent an angel to make the selec- 
tion. This angel committed, as I 
have always said, the plates of the 
Book of Mormon, together with the 
Urim and Thummim, into the hands 
of this youth, and also gave him many 
instructions informing him that he 
must be very strict in keeping the 
commandments of God, and that he 
must do with these plates as he was 
couDseled from time to time, not to 
shew them to everybody that might 
wish to see them, but was strictly 
forbidden, by the angel, to shew them 
unto any person until the Lord 
should give him commandment so to 
do. He translated these plates un- 
learned as he was.' And now let me 



170 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



ask, would you natumlly expect that 
if he — this unlearned youth — did this 
by his own wisdom, that it would 
agree with the Jewish record in all 
the doctrines taught, or said to be 
taught in the translation of this re- 
cord? Would it be reasonable to 
expect that this unlearned, inexperi- 
enced youth could be able to sit down 
and in a very short period of time 
translate a book two-thirds as long as 
the Old Testament, without contra- 
dicting himself in some way? Would it 
be reason able to suppose or to con elude 
that he would get all the doctrines, 
contained in that Book of nearly 600 
pages to agree in every respect with 
the ancient Gospel as it was 
taught in the New Testament, especi- 
ally when there were several thou- 
sand different notions in regard to 
that doctrine ] We could not expect 
any such thing. The more inex- 
perienced a man is the less qualified 
he is to write, by his own human 
• wisdom, and get into proper shape, 
a history said to extend over a thou- 
sand years or a little more — a 
history commencing with the colony 
that came from Jerusalem to this 
continent, down until the records 
were sealed and hid in the earth — a 
thousana years' history of a nation, 
of two nations that were opposed to 
each other, of their wars and their 
travels t© and fro upon a large con 
tinent, like ours — we would natu- 
rally expect that a young man, so 
inexperienced, would, by his own 
human wisdom, get that country 
awfully muddled up as regards places, 
as regards the location of cities, and 
location of countries. We would 
naturally expect, I say, such contra- 
diction to occur in the writings of an 
unlearned youth. 

But what is still more marvellous, 
is the prophetic portions of this re- 
cord, called the Book of Mormon. 
It is full of prophecies from the open- 



ing of the record unto the closing 
thereof. Predictions, not only con- 
cerning events that took place after 
this colony left Jerusalem, during 
600 years before Christ, predictions 
that were to take place down to the 
coming of Christ in the flesh, 
but predictions that were to be 
fulfiUed after the first coming of 
Christ down until the end of time. 
The book is full of these predictions. 
Would you not naturally expect 
therefore, could you look for any 
other thing than that an inexperi- 
enced, unlettered young man, unread 
in prophetic history, should contra- 
dict himself in different parts of the 
record ; speak of an event on one 
occasion and forget and speak of 
something quite different on ano- 
ther? Then again, where did you 
find a young man, unacquainted 
with the Jewish record, that could 
make all these predictions and pro- 
phecies coincide with the ancient 
prophecies of the Jews ? Would it 
be likely that he could do so by his 
own wisdom ? I think not. All 
these things, therefore, so far as the 
history is concerned in the Book of 
Mormon, so far as the prophetic 
writings are concerned in this late 
record, so far as the doctrinal parts 
of that Book are concerned, it is a 
marvel in the age in which we live; 
it is a marvel in my eyes ; but per- 
haps my eyes are not constituted as 
the eyes of others. To me, however, 
it is one of the greatest marvels of 
the age. I ani familiar with this ; 
and I have read it, perhaps, more 
carefully than any other man that 
has ever lived in this generation, 
and probably ten or fifteen tiroes 
more than any other man has done. 
Why, when I was a boy, 21 years of 
age, I had, for the two years during 
my first acquaintance with the book, 
read it so much that I could repeat 
over chapter after chapter, page 



THE BOOK OF MORMON, ETC. 



171 



after page, of many portions of the 
Book of Mormon, and could do it 

i'ust as well, with the Book closed or 
aid to one side, as I could with the 
Book open ; and I have continued to 
read it from that day down to the 
present, without finding one contra- 
diction in the book. I have read 
the comments, I have read the 
writings of our greatest opposers 
who have undertaken to examine the 
book from the beginning to the end. 
I have tried to follow their argu- 
ments, in relation to the contents of 
this book, but I have never unto the 
present day — and it is forty-nine 
years since I became acquainted 
therewith — been able to find one 
contradiction in the whole work. 

Can we say as much concerning 
the Jewish Bible in the present state 
of its existence 1 What is the great 
fault found by the opposers to the 
Jewish Bible. The infidel says, 
" We do not believe it, because it 
apparently contradicts itself in 
doctrine, in history, and In many 
other portions." And the Christian 
undertakes to read it, he undertakes 
to show that these are not contra- 
dictions ; but with the arguments of 
the Christian on the one side, and 
the infidels on the other, in relation 
to the Bible, it is confessed by the 
generality of mankind that there 
are many contradictions, not original 
contradictions, but contradictions 
that have been introduced into the 
record since it was originally given, 
— introduced by the wisdom of man, 
or rather by the wickedness of man. 
But does the Book of Mormon con- 
tradict the teachings of the present 
day ? Yes. There is a great differ- 
ence between the Book of Mormon 
and modern Christian religion ; but 
there is no diifference between that 
book and ancient Christianity. We 
may hunt the wide world over, 
amongst some 400 millions of Chris- 



tians, so called, and search deeply 
for a complete, and good, and 
thorough understanding of their doc- 
trines, and when we have made our- 
selves thoroughly acquainted with 
them, take up the Book of Mormon, 
compare their doctrines with this 
Bible of ancient America, and there 
is a great difference, a fundamental 
difference, not a trifling difference, 
but a 'difference that lies at the 
foundation. It is the same when we- 
come to compare these modern doc 
trines of Christendom with the doc- 
trine taught in the New Testament. 
Where can we find a man who can 
reconcile the two 1 Or the thousand 
if you please ? W^ho is able to show 
that the New Testament proves and 
sets forth clearly the ancient doc- 
trine of the Gospel 1 There may be 
now and then an item which each 
denomination has in accordance with 
the New Testament ; but where is 
the authority which lies at the foun- 
dation of Christianity ? Where is 
the man among all these 400 
millions of Christians that is a reve- 
lator, that is a prophet, or is 
inspired of God ] He cannot be 
found and yet the ancient Christian- 
ity, recorded in the Bible advocates 
that great gift as one that lies at- 
the foundation of Christianity. 
Christianity is built upon it, 
built upon Jesus, who was 
the great revelator of the Church, 
and built upon apostles who were- 
also revelators, as well as Jesus, and 
who received their revelations by 
the gift and power of the Holy 
Ghost, by inspiration as men of God. 
Can you find such an order of things 
in Christendom ] Do any profess- 
to have these gifts 1 They say that 
they are unnecessary ; they say that- 
these gifts were intended for the- 
first age of Christianity, but when 
Christianity was once established 
these high gifts were no longer 



•\k2 



JOUR>CAL OF DI^OOUilSKS. 



necessary. Tliis is their argument 
almost as one. They seemed to be 
agreed, however much they may be 
opposed in oth^r points of doetrine — 
they all, almost without an exception, 
seem to beagreed that there is no need 
of these high gifts of inspiration, and 
prophecy, and new revelation that 
accompanied the preaching of the 
Crospel in ancient times. " The 
Gospel is established," say they ; 
" we have no need of it.*' As much 
as to say that these gifts are no part 
of the Gospel ; that the Gospel is one 
thing and the gifts are another; that 
the Gospel was established by the 
evidence of the gifts, but the gifts 
are no part of the Gospel. They are 
as much a part ot it as faith ; just as 
much a part of the Gospel as repent- 
ance, as baptism for the remission of 
sins, or as the laying on of hands for 
the gift of the Holy Ghost ; and to 
undertake to separate the blessings 
of the Gospel, and then call some- 
thing else the Gospel, does seem very 
absurd, very inconsistent, and is 
something that cannot be proved 
from the divine record. Now, here 
is something that is of nunor import- 
ance, something that is not particu- 
larly necessary, that might be called 
non-essential, but something that 
lies at the very foundation of Chris- 
tianity. These gifts are a portion of 
Christianity. Revelation, inspiration 
and the gift of prophecy, are part 
and portion of the Gospel as taught 
by the ancient apostles and men of 
God, and by our Savior ; and to do 
away with these gifts destroys 
the fundamental principles of Chris- 
tianity. 

What does the Book of Mormon 
advocate 1 It comes directly in con- 
tact with all modem Christendom, 
and goes back to the old Gospel as it 
was taught nearly 1800 years ago, and 
maintains that there niust be in the 
kingdom and Church of God, in 



every age of the world, these gifts 
as well as Outward forms and cere- 
monies, — maintains! that these gifts 
are^apart 0f the ancient GospeLa&d 
must exist wherever the Qospd 
exists, — and when they cease the 
Gospel ceases to be preached, and 
true believers, in a Scriptural sense, 
cease to exist with them. 

Now, it does not seem likely to 
me, that a young man whose beard 
had scarcely grown- — a youth untu- 
tored, untaught in the sectarian no- 
tions ot the day, brought up to labor 
hard on his farmer s farm, should be 
able to make these great distinctions, 
to come out in opposition to all mo 
dem systems of religion, and estab- 
lish the very fundamental principles 
that are necessary to the very exist- 
ence of Christianity in the last days. 
But God was with that young man. 
He was not his own teacher, he was 
not left to his own judgment in re- 
gard to what Christianity should be 
and what it should not be. The 
angel that came from heaven and 
revealed himself to the youth un- 
derstood his mission. He understood 
what the Gospel was and should be; 
he understood the revelations of St. 
John ; he understood that these 
revelations never could be fulfilled 
unless an angel were sent from hea- 
ven in the last days, with the mes- 
sage of the Gosjiel to be proclaimed 
unto the inhabitants of the earth, 
not to a sectional portion of it, not 
to sonoe corner of it, or to some ob- 
scure people, but to commit the 
everlasting Gospel unto the inhabit- 
ants of the earth, to be proclaimed 
to every nation, kindred, tongue 
and people. He understood the dif- 
ference between modern Christianity 
and ancient Christianity. And when 
the Urim and Thummim was light- 
ed up by th& power of God, and 
magnified before the eyes of this 
youth, those ancient characters upon 



THE BOOK OF UOftUON, BTC. 



I73(i 



the plates of the Book of Mortnon, 
the distinction was clearly made, be- 
tween the purity of the Gospel as it 
was taught in ancient days, and the 
doctrines and innovations of man as 
have been taught during many long 
centuries of apostasy. 

How I have rejoiced, since I was 
a youth of nineteen, in this record ! 
Why I esteem it, — I was going to 
bring up some earthly comparison, 
but I will not compare great and 
glorious and heavenly things, — so 
great, so pure and so important, as 
that of the plan of salvation, with 
anything of an earthly nature, as 
therecannot really beany comparison. 
When I look at all the eartlily riches 
and grandeur of this world, and then 
look at the Book of Mormon and the 
Bible, with power to select, which 
should I choose 1 Why, the grand- 
eur of this world, the riches of this 
world, the glories of this world, 
would be nothing; they would be 
like the dream of a night- vision when 
a person is disturbed, not by the 
Spirit of God, but by his own co- 
gitations in the night. I would look 
upon them as nothing, as vanity and 
foolishness, as unworthy of the love 
or approbation of any man of God, 
were they to be set before me and 
contrasted with the gloiy of this 
book. It is a record given to this 
generation as one of the choicest 
gifts of heaven ! No other, books 
exist upon the face of our globe so 
choice as the books which. God has 
given in different ages of the world : 
the Bible for one, the Book of Mor- 
mon for another, and the book called 
the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, 
containing the revelations which God 
gave through his servant the pro- 
phet, during some seventeen of the 
last years of his existence here upon 
the earth* These revelations,' these 
books are more precious than the 
riches, and kingdoms, and glories, 



and honors of this present life, so far 
as I am concerned. Do I esteem 
them more than I do my own life ? 
I would be unworthy of my Father 
and my God in the eternal worlds if 
I would refuse to lay down my life, 
if it were, required of me of the Lord. 
If I should save it for a moment, 
and deny the Book of Mormon ; if 
1 were to deny the gifts of the Gos- 
pel, or any of tlie revelations that 
God has given — that are published 
in the Book of Doctrine and Cove- 
nants — if I were to do such a thing, 
could I look upon ray Father's face 
without blushing ? could I think 
upon God without blushing ] could 
I think upon anything that was pure 
and holy, without being, in my own 
mind, in perfect torment ] If I were 
to be so ungrateful as to deny any- 
thing that God has given me, I 
shoiud be unworthy of the kingdom 
of God. I do most sincerely and 
humbly hope and trust that the Lord 
will not call me and try me in this 
respect, for I know the weakness of 
man; I know that man has been 
weak in all ages, and I do not wish 
to be thus tried, I do not covet this 
trial, I do not pray for it; but if 
ever I should be brought to this 
condition, with my present feelings, 
with the feelings I have had for a 
great many years, I would say : 
''Come martyrdom, come burnings 
at the stake, come any calamity and 
afEiction of the body, that may be ' 
devised by wicked and ungodly men 
— ^let me choose that, and have eter- 
nal life beyond the grave ; but let 
me not deny the work of Grod." 
Why do I thus feel ] If I had not a . 
knowledge that the Book of Mormon 
was true, I should not have these 
feelings. Then I should probably 
say, if I only had faith that the . 
Book of Mormon is true, " My life 
is precious, let me save my life, , 
let me deny something which I do 



174 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



not know is true." But when a 
person has a knowledge, as I have, 
of the divinity of this work, — ^having 
this revealed to me when I was but 
a beardless boy — I hope never to be 
brought in that condition, where the 
trial will be upon me, but should it 
come I hope to be able to lift up my 
hands to high heaven, and say, "Oh 
Lord enable me to endure the trials 
and afflictions that may come, that I 
may be faithful unto death." 

Am I the only one that feels in 
this way, among the Latter-day 
Saints? Are there no other per- 
sons that have this knowledge, 
excepting your humble servant? 
Yes, there are scores of thousand, if 
they testify the truth, and I have no 
reason to think that they would 
falsify their word ; scores of thou- 
sands who know as well as they 
know they have an existence, that 
the Book of Mormon is a divine 
record ; that the Bible is a divine 
record ; that the revelations given 
through the Prophet Joseph Smith, 
published in the Book of Doctrine 
and Covenants, are divine; they 
know it. Would they be willing to 
suffer martyrdom? I think they 
would. There might be individual 
cases, as in ancient times, where 
they might reject the truth, lose 
their hopes of salvation, to save 
their temporal lives ; but take the 
great mass of this people, they 
would be willing to lay down their 
Kves, or be burned at the stake be- 
fore they would reject their religion. 

How kind, how good was our 
Heavenly Father, before the rise of 
this Church, after he had inspired 
this boy to translate these records ; 
how good it was to send an- angel 
from heaven to three other persons, 
namely : David Whitmer, Martin 
Harris and Oliver Cowdery, Joseph 
Smith being with them on the 
occasion. The angel descended 



from heaven, clothed with light and 
glory, and, taking these records in 
his hands, turned them over leJaf 
after leaf, showing to these three 
other men, besides the translator, 
the engravings on the plates. How 
kind this was. A Church was to be 
raised up. The Lord was willing 
that they should have all the evi- 
dence that they could reasonably 
ask for, before even the first branch 
of the Church was organized. Did 
he cDndescend, in many of the past 
ages of th^ world, to do so much for 
the diS'erent generations that have 
lived, as he has done for the present 
generation? Look at the days of 
Noah. He had a message to deliver 
— a message that affected the human 
family. He had to tell the people 
that were living around him that 
God had spoken. ^^ And what has 
God said ?*' He has told me that 
because of your wickedness he will 
send the floods upon you. He will 
break up the foundations of the 
great deep, he will open the windows 
from on high and he will pour out 
the floods upon these nations and 
they will be swept away root and 
branch, except a few that will believe 
in my message, and come into the 
ark that I am building. How many 
witnesses did Xxod raise up then? I 
expect he must have revealed him- 
self to the sons of Noah, as well as 
to Noah. That would be but four 
witnesses ; but we have no account 
that the Lord revealed himself to 
these three sons. They, however, 
believed the testimony of their 
father ; whether they knew it or not 
we do liot know. At any rate their 
faith was sufficiently strong to cause 
them to labor with the old man, and 
they labored along year after year, 
weary no doubt, in forming the tim- 
bers of this huge ark or vesseL 
Finally they got it fixed together, 
and the beasts of the field — ^thai 



THE BOOK OF MORMON, ETC. 



175 



appeared to have more inspiration 
than the men and the women of 
that age, began to come from the 
forests towards the ark, and finally 
the door was closed. They must 
have been prophetic beasts, beasts 
that had revelations, beasts that 
were able to judge far better than 
the world of mankind in that 
age. The rains descended, and 
the earth was covered with the flood, 
and we read that Noah by his testi- 
mony condemned the whole world. 
What ! One witness 'i One witness 
alone condemned the whole world, 
and they perished from off the face 
of the earth, because one witness 
was sent unto them ! The Lord has 
done a little better with this genera- 
tion. He sent four witnesses before 
he organized the Church, and that 
was not all. There were other men 
that had great testimony and evi- 
dence given to them ; but they did 
not see the angel ; they did not see 
the plates in the hands of the angel ; 
but what did they see ? They saw 
this boy have these plates. They 
took the plates and handled them 
themselves. They saw the engra- 
vings upon these plates — eight other 
men, besides the four I have men- 
tioned — and they testify to ^vhat 
they saw. They bear witness in 
words of soberness, that they did 
handle the plates with their own 
hands, that they did feel the weight 
of the plates, that they did observe 
the engravings thereon, that they 
had the appearance of ancient work 
and of curious workmanship, and 
they bear testimony to what their 
eyes saw and to what they handled 
with their hands. Their names, as 
also the names of .the four that saw 
the angel, were attached to this re- 
cord, when the first edition of that 
book was issued from the press. 
Twelve witnesses then did God con- 
descend to raise up immediately 



before he organized this Church. 
Are not twelve witnesses sufficient 
to condemn the world in this age, if 
one witness condemned the world in 
the days of Noali? I think that 
God has been very lenient, very kind 
and very merciful in beginning the 
work with so many witnesses. 

But there seem to be other wit- 
nesses and evidences concerning the 
correctness and divinity of this book 
that are far greater than those I 
have named. There is a promise to 
all the human family, that is far 
better than the ministrations of an- 
gels to others. What knowledge 
does it give to me, to you, to any 
other person, among all the nations 
and kindreds of the earth, concerning 
the divinity of the Book of Mormon, 
because four witnesses, that lived in 
some portion of our globe, state that 
an angel had come, from heaven 1 
Does that give me a knowledge] No. 
Did that impart a knowledge to any 
other creature on the face of the 
globe] No. Did we not need a 
knowledge as well as they ] Yes. I 
have a soul as well as these four men 
that must be saved or must be lost. 
If that be the case, ought I not also 
to have a knowledge concerning my 
safety as well as they ] I think so. 
Has the Lord made it impossible for 
me to obtain this knowledge ? No. 
The very message itself in the book, 
and in the New Testament, and in 
the modern revelations that are given 
through the prophet, told me, told 
you, told all the people upon the face 
of this earth, how they also might 
obtain a knowledge of the truth of 
the Book of Mormon and of this 
work How ] By getting a vision 
or manifestation from that same 
God] No. That we should all 
have the ministration of angels] 
No. To some is given on© gift, and 
to some are given other gifts. To 
some it is given to know in one way, 



176 



JOURNAL OF 0IS(?aURSE.S. 



and to some it is given to know in 
some other way. The Lord has pro- 
mised that if I will repent, if you 
will repent, if the people of the 
United States will repent, if the 
people of all the nations of the earth 
will repent, turn unto him and obey 
his commandments that they should 
receive the Holy Ghost. Will that 
give us a knowledge as clear, as 
definite, as pointed as could be 
revealed by the ministration of an- 
gels 1 Yes. 

Supposing now that I were a 
natural man, never had received the 
Holy Ghost. Supposing that a per- 
son should come and testify to me 
that he had received the Holy Ghost, 
that he had received Heavenly 
visions, that the Lord had sent 
angels to him, what would I know 
about iti What would I know 
about the Holy Spirit, if I never had 
received it? No man can discern 
the things of God, but by the Spirit 
of God ; so says the Apostle Paul to 
the Corinthians. It is impossible 
for the natural man to know the 
things of God, and if I were a 
natural man, and had never partaken 
of the Holy Ghost I might hear a 
cloud of witnesses testifying to what 
they had received. I might say, 
" Well you seem a sincere people, 
you seem to be honest in your decla- 
rations, you say you have had the 
visitation of angels, you say you had 
heavenly visions, you say the Holy 
Ghost has been poured out upon you, 
but 1 have never received these 
things as a natural man." Now 
what reason would there be to con- 
demn me on the great judgment day, 
if I rejected their testimony ? They 
would tell me that I might be put 
in communication with the heavens 
the same as they. They might tell 
me that on certain conditions, I 
might obtain the Holy Ghost, a^ 
well as they, if I would only exercise 



I sufficient faith, to repent of my sins 
and to be baptized for a remission of 
them, and to have the servants of 
God lay their hands upon my head 
for the reception of the Holy Ghost; 
that if I would enter into a covenant 
with the Most High God, to obey 
his commandments and to call upon 
his name in faith, and to exercise 
faith before him — I expect if I did 
not do all these things, that all this 
cloud of witnesses that I have 
named, would stand up on the day of 
judgment and would condemn me. 
But if I would exercise faith though I 
had no knowledge, and would obey 
the commandments, would be obedi- 
ent to the principles, and then I 
received for myself the testimony, 
I should then be dependent neither 
upon David Wliitmer, Martin Harris 
nor Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, 
nor any of the twelve witnesses that 
saw the plates, nor any other man 
living on the whole earth. I could 
then say, " Oh Lord, my God, thou 
hast fulfilled thy promise which thou 
hast made. Thou hast said if I 
would repent atid be baptized I 
would receive such and such bles- 
sings. They have been given unto 
me,, and now I know that thy word 
is ,true." And from that forth I 
could be a witness myself, but before 
that I could not be a witness. 

Are the ministers of the different 
denominations of this day, who 
have never had the spirit of revela- 
tion upon them — are they competent 
witnesses of God to stand before this 
generation and "declare the things of 
God] No, .Can they stand up in the 
great judgment day and condemn 
any of this gjenei^tion to whom they 
have preached? No. Why noti 
From the very fact that they axe 
not witnesses. Th^y can tell what . 
the ancients say, how the ancients 
becaflo^ witxi^sses, but they them- 
selves hay^. not an experience, in, 



THB BOOK OF MORMON, ETC. 



177 



these things, and therefore, God has 
not made them witnesses. They 
cannot condemn any man living on 
the face of the earth, by their preach- 
ing and their testimony. 

We are living, then, in the great 
and last dispensation, in which God 
has provided a way that he might 
raise up scores of thousands of wit- 
nesses, a way that all might know 
as Peter did. Peter did not get his 
knowledge from seeing miracles 
wrought. He did not obtain his 
knowledge because some other man 
had received a knowledge. The 
Savior blessed him and said, " Bles- 
sed art thou, Simon Barjona, for 
flesh and blood hath not revealed it 
unto thee, but my Father which is 
in heaven." The Lord had revealed 
this kiiowledge unto Peter, conse- 
quently Peter was constituted a 
witness. And so the Jjord, by 
having given revelation from the 
Iftavens to scores of thousands of the 
Latter-day Saints, has made them 
witnesses of the divinity of this 
work. 

O, bow the Latter-day Saints 
ought to rejoice ! How faithful we 
all ought to be ! How frivalous are 
the things of this present life, com- 
pared with the knowledge of God, 
which you have! ifeceived I Do you 
appreciate this, Latter-day Saints 1 
Do you realize it as you ought to, or 
are your minds swayed to and fro by 
the frivolities and vanities of this 
present life? Do they absorb the 
greater portion of your attention? 
Do you forget your God, the great- 
ness of your calling, and the know- 
ledge which you have received 1 . I 
have not. 

I believe that the Latter-day 
Saints are the very best people on 
the face of our globe. Why? Be- 
cause they have been ^willing to en- 
dure hardships, persecutions all the 
day long. They have been willing 

No. 12. 



to leave their houses, their lands, 
their possessions, haVe been willing 
to see all fall into the hands of their 
enemies and flee to a desert country 
for the sake of their religion. ' Has 
God forgotten all these things ? 0, 
ye children of Zion ! do you suppose 
that the Lord has forgotten, because 
many years' have passed away, your 
tribulation, your sacrifices — if they 
can be called such — ^your mobbings 
and persecutions in times that are 
past ? No. They are written as it 
were on the palms of his hands, they 
are printed indelibly upon the 
thoughts of his heart. He has all 
these things in remembrance, and a 
day of controversy is coming, and it 
is not far in the future — a contro- 
versy for Zion ; a controversy with 
all the nations of the earth that 
fight against Mount Zion — the Lord 
has all these things in his mind, and 
he will fulfil them in his own due 
time and season. But now is the 
day of our tribulation and has been, 
for some forty years and upwards 
that are past. Are there better 
days to conael Yes. How far in 
the future I am not prophet enough 
to know. All that I do know is 
that they are nigh, near at the v^ry 
door, wh0ni the Lord will rise^up 
and 'come- forth but of his^^fdo^g 
place and fulfil that wKicKhe'Iias 
^pokeii concerning Zion and ' tbe 
inhabitants of this land. Zion is 
not destined to be crushed down 
forever into the dust. Zion is not 
destined to be overcome by the king- 
doms of this world forever. The 
turning point wiU come, and that is 
.nigh At hand. The days are coming 



— I know they are close at hand — 
when the young and rising genera- 
tion that are now sitting in this con* 
gregation, and who are spread forth 
upon the face of the land, through* 
out these mountains and valleys^ 
will see the turning point for Zioiu 

Vol. XXL 



'178 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES 



^ What will they see ? They will see 
' a man raised up like unto Moses in 
days of old — a man to whom the 
Lord will reveal himself, as he did 
to his servant Moses, by angels, by 
' visions, by revelation from the hea- 
vens, and will give unto him com- 
mandments, and make him an instru- 
ment in his hands, to redeem the 
people and to establish them in 
their everlasting inheritance upon 
the face of this American continent. 
Will he show forth his p©wer in 
that day as he did unto his servant 
Moses and to Israel? Yes, only 
more abundantly, more extensively 
than in the days of Moses, for there 
is a larger continent than the land 
of Egypt, in which the Lord will 
make manifest his power — a greater 
people than the Egyptians, among 
whom he will work. Consequently 
he will show forth his power unto 
all the inhabitants of this land. He 
will fulfil the plain predictions of 
the Prophet Isaiah that the Lord 
shall make bare his arm in the eyes 
of all the nations, until all the ends 
of the earth shall see the salvation 
of God. What will be said then 
concerning this people and Zioni 
It will then be said by those that 
are spared in the midst of the terri- 
l)le judgments that will fall upon 
these nations, "Surely the people 



called Latter-day Saints, the peopte 
of Zion, are the people of our God. 
God is there, lus power is there, it 
is his power that delivers that people ; 
it is his power that is over them as a 
cloud by day and the shining of a 
flaming fire by night. It is his 
power that protects their congrega- 
tions, protects their settlements, 
protects their holy temple. Let us 
no longer fight against Zion or the 
people of God, let us enter into the 
everlasting covenant which has been 
revealed anew. We will join our- 
selves with the people of God." In 
that day will be fulfilled that which 
has been spoken by Isaiah in the 
second chapter, by the prophet 
Micah, in the four chapter, that in 
the last days many nations shall say: 
" Come ye, and let us go up to the 
mountain of the Lord, to the house 
of the God of Jacob ; and he will 
teach us of his ways, and we will 
walk in his paths, for out of Son 
shall go forth the law, and the word 
of the Lord from Jerusalem." 

May God bless — not the wicked, 
not the ungodly, not those that 
blaspheme the name of the Lord, 
not those that fight against Zion— 
but all the true, pure hearted Latter- 
day Saints, is my prayer, in the 
name of Jesus. Amen. 



SOUTHERN STATES MISSION. 



179 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER JOHN MORGAN, 

Delivered In The Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, 

May 23rd, 1880. 



(Reported by John Irvine,) 



SOUTHERN states MISSION. 



I am pleased to have once more 
the privilege of meeting with the 
Latter-day Saints, and I trust that 
while I shall endeavor to address 
you I shall have an interest in your 
faith and prayers, that what I may 
say may be in accordance with the 
mind and will of our Father in 
heaven and for our mutual good and 
henefit. 

To an elder returning home from 
missionary labors the privilege of 
meeting with the assemblies of the 
Saints in their Sabbath day meetings 
is one that is very highly prized. 
We feel to rejoice in the privilege of 
returning to these peaceful valleys 
of the mountains, and of listening 
to the voice of the servants of God 
teaching the principles of the king- 
dom of God, and explaining the 
mind and will of our common 
Father and God in the heavens. I 
have often thought and meditated in 
regard to this privilege when away 
from home traveling in the midst of 
strangers, that when here we 
scarcely prize and realize the value 
of it. And doubtless this is true in 
regard to very ma^ny of the great 
and glorious principles of the Gospel 
We must see the opposite, come in 
contact with the opposite ; we have 



to taste the bitter before we can 
appreciate the sweet ; we have to see 
and experience the condition in 
which the world is to-day to appre- 
ciate the situation the Latter-day 
Saints are in. 

During the past year, since last I 
had the privilege of meeting with 
you here, I have been engaged in 
preaching the principles of the Gos- 
pel in the United States, more 
particularly in the Southern States. 
Our labors there have, to a greater 
or less extent, been crowned with 
success. The Lord has opened up 
our way. We have been enabled to 
reach many of the honest in heart, 
and the principles of the Gospel 
have been spread by the preachmg 
of the elders, and by the distribution 
of books and pamphlets, until many 
thousands of people in that section 
of the country to-day are becoming 
acquainted with the principles of 
the Gospel, who, twelve months ago, 
although possibly aware that there 
were such a people as the Latter- 
day Saints in the valleys of the 
mountains, were ignorant in regard 
to the doctrines that they professed 
to believe in. I find that within 
the past twelve-months quite a 
change has taken place in the senti- 



180 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



ments and minds of the people in 
the Southern States relative to the 
principles that we promulgate. I 
farm my judgment in regard to this 
from their actions, and it is said 
they speak louder than words. 
Something like twelve months ago a 
spirit of persecution and mobocracy 
was prevalent throughout a great 
portion of the South, brought about, 
to a great extent, by inflammatory 
articles in the newspapers, misrepre- 
senting us and our objects, and the 
denunciations hurled at us from the 
pulpit and from almost all directions, 
which resulted in the mobbing of a 
number of the elders and the driving 
from their homes of quite a number 
of families who had embraced the 
Gospel in their native land. In 
one particular instance an entire 
branch of the Church was driven 
from their homes, lost their pro- 
perty and their means and were 
forced to rely upon the generosity of 
the Latter-day Saints already gather- 
ed to the vaUeys of the mountains 
here to enable them to emigrate to 
where they could live in peace and 
safety. This character of opposition 
was very violent, very unpleasant to 

. meet with, very unpleasant to have 
to deal with, but by the blessing of 

. God and the perseverance of the 
elders, the obstacles were overcome, 

. pur work was pushed forward, and 
very many right-thinking, honor- 
able men and women, while not con- 
ceding with us in a religious sense,- 
came out and refuse to endorse the 

,^^tion of men who were using viol- 
ence, came but in the press, in 

..private conversation, in public 
speech, and stated that while the 

■ Latter-day Saints might.be wrong, 
t.he course that was being taken was 

^ undoubtedly wrong, that whatever 

\ the Ofiture ai^d character of their 
doctrines might be, mob-violence, 
persecution, and unauthorized, ille- 



gal prosecution was not a proper 
means of over coming the difficulty. 
Even the editors of many of the- 
Southern papers conceded that the- 
course that was being pursued was- 
most unwise, and would have a ten- 
dency to bring dozens of converts to- 
the "Mormon" doctrines where 
there had been one before, which 
proved true, as ©ur labors have con- 
tinually increased and grown, our 
numbers have beon added to, and 
the spirit of emigration to gather 
out to where they could be protect- 
ed in their religious belief has 
grown stronger day by day, until we 
scarcely need to preach in the- 
Southern States the principle of 
emigration, so anxious are the peo- 
ple to escape from their surround- 
ings. 

The elders who have been engag- 
ed in the Southern States Mission, 
have, almost without exception,, 
proven themselves worthy of the 
trust that was reposed in them. 
They have endeavored to perform 
the duties devolving upon them as 
men and as the servants of God, not 
counting privation, slander, e^^K)- 
sure, contumely as anything in com- 
parison to the great work in wluch 
they were engaged. 

The Southern people are naturally 
a kind-hearted, hospitable, noble- 
class of people, with the finer- 
instincts of nature more fully devel- 
oped than possibly among some^ 
other classes of people. They recog- 
nize the labors of our elders, and 
while they may not coincide* with, 
our views, yet they give us crecjit 
for the determination with which we- 
press forward, and the earnestness- 
and zeal displayed by our young, 
elders in preaching the principles of 
the Gospel. Especially was thisN 
note-worthy in connection "with the* 
very many young elders who had 
never been upon missions before, — 



SOUTHERN STATES MISSION. 



181 



.1 



young men who had been called 
from the various mutual improve- 
jit6iSfl associations, unlearned in ,re- 
gaiffl'to ti^ cohditSon'^ th^ world, 
niiiacquaint^'' WiHi^ itsi (iUstoms,* 
maiiners and Habits — especially with' 
i,lM claSs was a deep impression 
m^e upon the minds of the people. 
Hii-t feeling of kindness, which is 
•characteristic of the people there, 
seemed to feel after those boys, 
bdardless boys as they were, as 
tlfty stood up in their places, 
where thev could obtain a church 
or a school house, to preach, and 
where they could not obtain a 
j)lace, in the open air, by the road 
side, or wherever they found a man 
jeady to stop and listen to them in 
proclaiming the things they had 
been sent to declare. It made a 
deep impression on the minds of the 
people, and, in a number of instan- 
ces, while the violent feelings of men 
were raised against them, there 
were those who said, "We have boys 
of our own, and if our boys were in 
the place of these, separated from 
their homes and their kindred by 
thousands of miles, and there were 
those seeking to do them violence, 
we would feel to bless the hand that 
protected them." And, as a general 
thing, there came a division, and the 
two contending parties were left to 
get through the struggle as best they 

The Southern States Mission at 
the present time is divided into con- 
ferences, with a president over each 
conference, and traveling elders at 
appointed places laboring in the dis- 
tricts. Yet, with all that we can 
■do, there are localities in the South- 
em States to-day, that have been 
asking for elders for some consider- 
able length of time, which we have 
not yet been able to supply, owing 
to a deficiency in our numbers. I 
discover, in coming in contact with 



the people of the United States, that, 
notwithstanding the nation numbers 
forty millions of peopl©,— a vastin-iv 
nunlerable multi'bttdei allDost, i^oin^i 
pared to the Lk^tt^t-day S|,ittt«wfad^'' 
dwell $n these^ distant valleys of thi>^ 
mountains, — yet, if a company of I 
eight, ten, twelve or fifteen eldersj.! 
should happen to pass through any> * 
of the large . cities, en route to theiu' 
fields of labor, th^y are visited by: 
reporters, th^^y are interviewed, and 
the iaterview is published far and 
near, causing considerable excitement 
in regard to this small company of 
elders going to their fields of labor ; 
in fact two elders, going into a local- 
ity where the people are unacquain- 
ted with the teachings of the Latter- 
day Saints, and announcing them- 
selves as Mormon elders, will creato 
a really moie genuine sensation than 
almost any other incident that could 
happen, and it is, doubtless, well that 
some of us, who are possibly a little 
more zealous than wise, should be 
restrained in regard to our anxiety 
to push the work forward. There isy 
however, an abundance of room for 
elders to labor throughout the entire- 
Southern States. We scarcely ever 
preached in a place where we could 
not obtain a hearing. We scarcely 
ever visited a neighborhood — I do 
not recollect of any now — in the 
Southern States where I desired a 
hearing, but what I could both ob- 
tain a place to preach in and a good 
sized audience to hear what I had to 
say. 

. Many of the leading men of the 
Southern States, having visited Sal^ 
Lake City and been treated kindly by 
our people — having observed the 
thrift, enterprise and peacefulness of 
our homes, extended to us many 
kindnesses and many courtesies, not- 
withstanding that, with the mass of 
the people, it was quite unpopular 
* to do so. The Governor of one of 



183 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



the leading States of the South, 
ofTered the use of the Senate Cham- 
ber — the representative hall of his 
State — ^to preach in, if I was prepar- 
ed to use it, extending any courtesy 
I desired. Their leading papers free- 
ly no.ticed our meetings and publish- 
ed thousands of handbills to be dis- 
tributed among the people, refusing 
any compensation whatever. Many 
of these incidents that come to my 
mind in regard to the courtesy and 
kindness of the people that we have 
been preaching the Gospel to, warms 
our hearts as elders of Israel, and 
we feel to do them good, to bless 
them, and benefit them all that we 
can. 

During the past year, a little over 
400 Saints have been gathered from 
the Southern States Mission. The 
principal part of these have emigra- 
ted to the neighboring State of Colo- 
rado, in San Luis Valley, 250 miles 
south and a little to the west of 
Denver, where the Saints have found 
a good valley, most excellent land 
and timber, water, grass, and all that 
is necessary to enable them to build 
up a settlement and locate them- 
selves. I had the privilege of visit- 
ing them in their homes a number of 
times, and while they have had the 
privations that are incidental to the 
formation of a new settlement every- 
where, yet they have been blessed 
and prospered. The people of the 
State of Colorado have, as a rule, 
treated them kindly, have welcomed 
them to their borders, have endea- 
vored to benefit them, and assisted 
them in forming their settlements all 
they could. The railroad, that has 
been in process of construction for 
the past two years, runs down the 
centre ot the valley, within three to 
five miles of our line of settlement, 
BO that we have easy railroad com- 
munication. Our rates for emigra- 
tion are exceedingly low. The rail- 



road companies have extended to u& 
many courtesies and kindnesses, and 
have sought to do what they could . 
— apparently being moved upon by 
the right Spirit — to enable us to ga- 
ther those who were unable to gather 
themselves, and to assist those wh# 
were but little able to gather. In 
the location of the settlement in the 
State of Colorado, there are now, I 
believe, 500 Latter-day Saints from 
the Southern States, which will pos- 
sibly be augmented by 300 more this 
season, if deemed prudent to do so. 
In the first town that was located^ 
all the lots have been taken up. 
Another location of similar dimen- 
sions is being occupied, while still 
another will be occupied some few 
miles distant from the first two iu 
the course of the next two or three 
months. 

The health of the Saints has n<»t 
been as good as could have been 
desired, principally owing to the 
fact that in emigrating from the 
Southern States — a malarious dis- 
trict to those great, dry altitudes-;- 
' the changes thus brought to bear 
upon them were calculated to pro- 
duce sickness to a greater or less ex- 
tent. The scourge of measles passed 
through the settlement in the month 
of April ; some 160 cases. Our 
neighbors, at a railroad town near 
by, where there were about an equal 
number of inhabitants that we had, 
with all the appliances of physicians 
and drug stores, lost quite a large 
percentage of their cases of sickness. 
In the town of Alamosa, some twen- 
ty miles distant from our settlement,, 
where there were almost an equal 
number of cases, there was quite a 
large percentage of deaths. In about 
165 to 170 cases that occurred in our 
settlement, I think there were but 
three or four deatha from measles. 
When I was talking to the Mayor of 
Alamosa, he called my attention ta 



SOUTHERN STATES MISSION. 



183 



the disparity of deaths in that town 
in comparison with those that had 
occurred in our settlement, and asked 
me if I thou^t the location of tha 
town of Alamosa unhealthy. I re- 
pUed I thought not, that it was 
equally healthy with our settlement. 
He asked me to what I attributed 
the number of deaths. I replied that 
I believed they were attributable to 
the number of drug stores and phy- 
sicians they had in it, that that was 
the cause, as I earnestly believed, to 
a greater or less extent, of the dis- 
parity of the number of deaths. 
With some 500 inhabitants in our 
settlement with quite a number ot 
cases, some of them very serious, 
there has never been a physician 
called to prescribe one single pre- 
scription to any of these people, and 
I have an idea that if we were to 
look at them to-day we would find 
them equally healthy with those of 
the adjacent town where there are 
several physicians with two drug 
stores to draw their supplies from. 

The people in the settlements are 
satisfied with their location. I 
heard but very little complaint, and 
what complaints I did here were, I 
thought, almost entirely due to the 
inconvenience incident to emigration, 
to breaking up their homes, to dis- 
posing of their property, to riding 
distances upon r£nlroads, landing at 
their destination wearied, to not be- 
ing so carefully housed and protect- 
ed for a limited length of time after 
their arrival, and to their being 
unacquainted with the country. I 
believe, however, that out of the 500 
souls emigrated there have been but 
four turned back from the work and 
returned to their former homes. I 
heard no expression of a desire to 
return on the part of any one when 
I was thare. Wishing to test this 
as I was returning back to the 
States, I publicly made the offer 



that if there were any persons who . 
desired to return back to their old . 
homes, to lay down the principles of. 
the Gospel and forego the gathering, 
I would see and accompany them 
back, and if there were any unable 
to go back with their own means, a 
fund would be raised for the pur- 
pose if desired. I received no appli- 
cations, hence I was led to believe 
that the people as a rule were satis- 
fied with their situation and sur- 
roundings. 

Adjacent to our settlement there 
is a large number of Mexicans who 
live in piazzas, as they term them, 
which are capable of accomodating 
from ten to fifty families in a piazza. 
These people have had rather an 
unpleasant and chequered history in 
the Territory of New Mexico and 
the State of Colorado. They have 
been looked upon to a certain extent 
as legal and lawful prey by the 
Christians surrounding, who have, 
to a greater or less degree, taken 
advantage of their innocence and of 
their ignorance in regard to the 
rules of business. To illustrate thio, 
one man, a merchant with whom we 
deal, a man that I have always look- 
ed upon as in every sense trust- 
worthy, made this statement to me. 
In speiaking of the Mexican people, 
said he : " We cannot trade with 
them as we do with other people. 
They have been deceived and cheat- 
ed until they come here and ask how 
many pounds of sugar we give for a* 
dollar. We would not dare to tell 
them the exact nurfiber of pounds. 
If it is six, we have to tell them 
ten." **Well," I said "do ypu 
weigh out the ten pounds f ^* Not 
much ; we weigh them six or five 
and a half pounds as the case might 
be." Such is the character of the 
dealings the Mexican people have 
had to contend with until to-day 
they have no confidence whatever* in 



184 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



the white people hy whom they 
axe surrounded, and it is something 
almost unknown in their history, it 
is something strange for them to be 
placed in a position whereby they 
would be dealt with honorably and 
uprightly by white people. Said 
one of their leading citizens to me, 
Mr: Valdez, who was fonnerly a 
Judge in Old Mexico, a leading citi- 
zen in the State of Colorado, a 
Representative in the Legislature, 
and a man of considerable ability — 
said he to me, " The white people 
we have come in contact with here- 
tofore, have endeavored to take 
every advantage of us, and when 
your people came here we expected 
they would treat us the same way. 
Last season we could have furnished 
you land to plow, teams and seed ; 
but we were afraid that you would 
repeat the history of some other por- 
, tions of our possessions, where we 
have furnished seed, land, teams and 
plows, and rented these things upon 
shares to people who came into our 
midst, and when the fall season came 
they not only claimed the land and 
crops, but our teams and plows, and 
we have failed to obtain any redress 
whatever ; consequently we were 
afraid of your people." But after 
soine short acquaintance with us, 
after coming in contact with us a 
limited length of time, they learned 
to think better of us, and by their 
votes elected one of our brethren 
magistrate over a considerable por- 
tion of the county of Conejas, in 
which they lived. This brother 
told me he had been magistrate for 
eight months, had gained the confi- 
dence of the people, until to-day peo- 
ple outside of the precinct where he 
Jives will bring their cases to him to 
arbitrate and adjudicate upon, and 
the people almost universally are 
willing to submit to his decisions. 
There is a kindly feeling between 



them and the Latter-day Saints* 
They are naturally a kind hearted 
people. I noticed when our people 
were living in their piazzas, as some 
of them did for a season, that when 
any of them took sick, the Mexicans 
were on hand to nurse them and to 
do what they could for their com- 
fort. The Saints rejoice at the 
privilege of gathering where they 
can live in peaee and quietness, and 
receive the instructions of the elders, 
and have their children taught. I 
believe about the first thing they 
did in the first town they started 
was to build a comfortable school- 
house, and during the past winter 
they have had a school in session 
the entire winter, expecting that as 
soon as circumstances would permit 
a summer school would be com- 
menced. A Sabbath School is in 
session regularly each Sabbath, and 
some six home missionaries visit the 
surrounding country where the 
Latter-day Saints are located, and 
instruct the Mexicans who desire to 
hear the principles of the Gospel. 

In laboring in the States, we can 
see that there is a rapid change 
taking place. It may not he 
observable by the masses of the peo- 
ple. However, this change can be 
seen on the right hand and on the 
left. We hear men remark in regard 
to the change that is occurring poli- 
tically, religiously and socially. We 
cannot blind our eyes to the fact 
that affairs in the United States are 
traveling at a rapid rate. We some- 
times hear an elder, on returning 
home from his mission, ask one of 
the brethren, " How is everything 
moving?' H is reply is, " very slowly. 
He does not see with the eyes of 
the elder who is abroad preaching 
the Gospel. To my mind, the seeds 
of dissolution have been sown in the 
midst of the people, and they are 
springing up to an abundant growth. 



SOUTHERN STATES MISSION. 



185 



Men are fulfilling the Scriptures — 
''th«ir hearts are fiuliDg thorn for 
feur of the things that are coming 
upon them." The people ' of the 
United States are in doubt in regard 
to what is in store for our govem- 
msnt. We hear quite loud expres- 
sions every hour of the day by men 
of all classes — ^governors, senators, 
congressmen and clergymen. I think 
one of the most eloquent sermons 
— eloquent for the sound of its words, 
not particularly for the principle 
it contained, but more particularly 
for its sound of words — I ever 
heard, was one in which the mini- 
ster portrayed the condition of the 
United States, the fearful condition 
in which the government was to- 
day, the condition in which political 
affairs were, and strange as it may 
seem, after telling the people that 
there was not a political party in 
the United States that would receive 
Jesus of Nazareth. After telling 
the people of St. Louis (the city in 
which this sermon was preached) 
that if Jesus were to come to one of 
their wards and run for Alderman, 
they would outvote him by a large 
majority — ^^after telling them all. 
these things, he then commenced 
upon the other hand to portray the 
glorious spread of Christianity ! It 
sounded strange to my ears, for one 
was a direct contradiction of the 
other ; if one was true the other was 
false. Certainly Christianity could 
not grow and increase and spread 
and be engrafted into the minds of 
the people, and at the same time he 
who stood at the head of Christian- 
ity be rejected from the head to the 
foot of the whole body. 

The situation to my mind as I 
have observed it — ^and I have tried 
to do so calmly and delibei-ately and 
without prejudice — ^is anything but 
agreeable. Men have ceased to try 
to hide this ; and the present poli- 



tical contest that is waged so hotly 
even for the nomination of the man ' 
who shall fill the presidential chair is 
stirring up the people as I have 
never seen an election stir them up 
before. It seems as though they are 
not content with dividing into 
parties but these parties are divided 
into fragments, the one contending 
against the other. A few years ago 
it was the Democratic party on the 
one side and the Republican party 
on the other. To-day it has changed 
and materially altered in the Repub- 
lican party. It is the anti-third 
term men, the Blaine men, Sherman 
men etc., struggling one against the 
other in their own party until it 
seems as if the shadow is cast, of the 
time when every man*s hand shall 
be raised against his neighbor. Cer- 
tainly these are indications of it, — 
and we see the fulfilment of prophecy 
in these things. It is a most 
unpleasant report for a person to 
make of the situation of their coun- 
try. We are not aliens to our land. 
We love and revere and respect the 
constitution of our common country. 
We have a love for the old flag that 
floats over it, and it is with feelings 
of mortification, chagrin, and pain 
that we have to report back to the 
Saints here in the valleys of the 
mountains the fearful condition in 
which matters are to-day. One in- 
stance comes to my mind in connec- 
tion with a matter in which the 
Latter-day Saints are interested. 
During the trial of the men — or one 
of them at least — who assassinated 
Elder Joseph Standing, I was 
astonished and surprised to listen to 
the testimony of the witnesses. The 
court would commence its session at 
eight o'clock and run till twelve and 
then adjourn for an hour and run 
till candle light, and when night 
came we would hear the bells ring- 
ing across the street calling the peo- 



186 



JOURNAL OF DISOOURSBS. 



pie to a revival meeting. I noticed 
that those men who had heen upon 
the witness stand would pass over 
to the meeting, and for two weeks 
the revival was kept up calling men 
and women to Jesus after dark, and 
in the day time came into that court 
and testified to things they knew 
were utterly false, and that they 
knew the people in the court room 
were satisfied were false. The thing 
was a talk and a laughing stock on 
the streets of Dalton. It seemed 
strange to me, and ^fter I had • had 
several days experience I asked the 
attorney General, a man. that T look- 
ed upon as an honorable man, a man 
who sought to do his duty in that 
trial to the best of his ability — I 
asked " how many men are there 
that came upon this stand that you 
can rely upon to testify to the 
truth?" His reply was, "If I get 
one in ten I am doing very well." 
I thought that a strange comment 
indeed upon this boasted land of 
freedom, of free schools, churches, 
libraries, lecture associations and 
yet hold ourselves up before the 
worid as a representative govern- 
ment for all other governments to 
copy after, for all civilization, to 
follow, and for all Christians to 
model themselves from. It looks 
strange to me, and I scarcely could 
have believed it had not mine own 
ears heard and mine own eyes be- 
held it. 

The sentiment and feeling of the 
better class of people in the Souths 
and I may say the people of the 
United States are in favor of lettii^ 
the Latter-day Saints alone, of let- 
ting them work out their own pro- 
blem, and but for the religious influ- 
ence that is brought to bear there 
would be but little said in relation 
to the work the Latter-day Saints 
are doing. But this religious influ- 
ence has not changed in the least. 



The same influence that fought and 
contended against the Latter day 
Saints in the State of Missouri, and 
that drove them to the valleys of 
the mountains ; the same influence 
that cried out nearly 2000 years ago 
" crucify him, crucfiy him," is still 
abroad in the land, and I think the 
worst treatment I have ever received 
at the hands of any class of men has 
been from men who can pray the 
longest prayers, preach the loudest 
sermons, and wear the longest face, 
and who profess to be going back to 
Abraham's bosom. This class of 
men have always contended against 
the elders. They have sought to 
bring persecution upon them, and to 
villify them upon every hand, and 
if we have difficulties they are to a 
greater or less extent caused by 
those who profess to believe in this 
Bible, and who preach "glory to 
God in the highest, and on earth 
peace and goodwill towards men.'* 
But this perchance, is but history 
repeating itself. Notwithstanding 
the difi^LCulties and obstacles the 
elders have had to contend with in 
this and other directions they have 
been blessed and prospered. They 
rejoice in the privilege of going forth 
to proclaLm the principles of the 
Gospel, to bring Israel to a know- 
ledge of the truth, and to gather the 
honest in heart home, that Ziou 
may be built up and the kingdom of 
Ggd- established on the earth. The 
elders rejoice in this privilege, Our 
young elders who go abroad with 
fear and trembling in regard to 
their own ability are willing to pass 
through all kinds uf difficulties, are 
willing to endure anything and 
everything that they may be instru- 
ments in the hands of God in pro^ 
claiming the principles of the Gospel. 
I heard but very few complaints 
from the elders. It is true that 
sometimes they are not situated as 



SOUTHERN STATES MISSION. 



187 



pleasantly as they would desire to 
be, but I heard very few com- 
plaints. They express very great 
surprise at the situation of affairs 
abroad. They say, "why, we did 
not dream that matters were as bad 
as they are. We did not dream 
that the world was so corrupt as it 
is both politically, i:eligiously, and 
socially." They seemed surprised, 
when walking through the streets 
of the religious St. Louis. — whose 
editors, you know, write long homi- 
lies in the shape of editorials in re- 
gard to the terrible situation of 
affairs in Utah, — to see, on a Sun- 
day, just close by where these 
articles are published, saloons open, 
men and women drinking, and busi- 
ness going on just as though it were 
any other day in the week, " Why," 
say these young elders, " in reading 
these articles back in Utah we were 
led to believe that these places here 
were really religious. But we find 
that such is not the case. We find 
they are allowing their charity to 
play leap-frog over their own wrong- 
doings, and in place of looking to 
the affairs of Utah they had better 
attend to their own." These things 
look strange to the young elders 
when they first come iu contact with 
the world. In speaking with one of 
of the officers of the State of Colo- 
rado, said he to me, " we trust that 
you people will assimilate with our 
people, that they will adopt our 
habits and customs and become one 
with us." I told him we did not 
wish to liiake any rash promises 
about that, for, said I, " we would 
not wish to have drinking saloons 
on the corner of each block." We 
would not like to have all kind of 
wrong-doings in our midst, and cer- 
tainly here in this city of Denver, 
we would not wish to copy after the 
morals of this or your adjoining 
city of Leadville. 



Some people seem to have an idea 
that the Latter-day Saints gathered 
here in the valleys of the mountains 
are samples of all that is wrong, all 
that is iniquitous, and I have some- 
times been amazed at the situation 
we have been placed in. In one 
neighbourhood where we stopped 
over night, and had some talk with 
the folks in regard to the social con- 
ditions with which they were sur- 
rounded, one sanctimonious person, 
the next day, refused us the privi- 
lege of meeting in a log cabin school- 
house, for fear we should corrupt the 
morals of the people ! In another 
instance, a large number of people 
had gathered together in a meeting 
house to hear one of the elders 
preach. When he got through 
preaching he asked a gentleman who 
had been induced to come to the 
stand to tell the people what he 
thought of the doctrine that had 
been advanced. He very reluctantly 
did so in about these words : " I 
have listened with great attention to 
my young friend. I believe he is 
honest. I believe he has tried to 
tell the truth, and in fact he has 
told you the truth. He has 
read from the Scriptures ;" but at 
this stage he drew up (evidently 
realizing that he had gone too far 
to please his friends) and concluded 
by saying : •* but my dear, dying 
friends, I do not believe one word of 
it." Notwithstanding that he had 
just told the people that the young 
man had told them the truth, and 
that he had preached according to 
the Bible. It sounded strange, even 
to his own people. Yet there is a • 
class of people who, when we come 
down to the real facts of the case, 
will not, do not believe in the Bible, 
however much they pretend to do 
so. They believe certain parts of it, 
and disbelieve other parts. This 
spirit of unbelief is growing in the 



1^8; 



JOUilNAL Oy DISCOURSES. 



minds of the people, until in the 
l/nited States to-day there are thou- 
sands of people who openly^ repudi- 
ate their belief in the Bible, Inger- 
soll, and various men of that stamp 
who are lecturing throughout the 
United States, take for texts the 
mistakes found in the books of Moses, 
and otherwise ridicule the word of 
Scripture. By this means they are 
undermining the faith and belief of 
the people in the Bible, and are 
creating infidels by thousands. 
We meet them on the railroads, we 
hear them from the lecture stand, 
we find them among all classes of 
people, lawyers, doctors, etc., and as 
I told one of them, a leading citizen 



of St. Louis^ with whom I traveled 
a couple of days, I can understood 
opposition to preaching and praying 
from, those who do' not believe in' ■ 
this book, but it savors of hypocrisy 
coming from those who profess to 
believe in the teachings of Jesus and 
his apostles. 

Well, these are some of the reflec- 
tions that pass through our minds as 
elders in preaching the Gospel. We 
pray that the blessing of Israel's God 
may rest upon his work, and upon 
the elders who are abroad preaching 
the Gospel, that they also may be 
permitted to return in peace, in the 
name of Jesus. Amen. 



DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, ETC. 



189 



DISCOUESE BY ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF, 

Delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, at the Semi-Annual 
Conference, of the Salt Lale Stake op Zion, Saturday 

Afternoon, July 3rd, 1880. 

(Reported hy John Irvine.) 

duties and responsibilities of the priesthood and saints gene- 
rally— zion shall not be overcome — ^the wicked shall slay 

THE wicked — THE END NEAR. 



I have listened to the instructions 
given here this afternoon by my 
brethren, as well as the remarks of 
Brother Cannon, this forenoon, with 
feelings of a great deal of interest. 
When we talk of onr duties as Latter- 
day Saints, I think many times some 
of us, perhaps all of us, more or less, 
fall short of comprehending and 
understanding the responsibilities 
which we are under to God. I be- 
lieve there never was a dispensation 
or. a generation of men in any age of 
the world that ever had a greater 
work to perform, or ever were under 
greater responsibility to God, than 
the Latter-day Saints. The kingr 
dom of God has been put into our 
hands. We have.been raised up as 
sons and daughters' of the Lord to 
take this kingdom, to lay the foun- 
dation of it, to l^uild upon it, to 
carry it out in it>8 various branches 
untU it becomes perfected before the 
heavens and before the earth as God 
has foreordained it should be. And 
those principles which have been 
referred to'bj the brethren in regard 
to our duties we cannot safely ignore 



them nor turn aside from them. I 
will say as one of the quorum of the 
Twelve Apostles, from the time I 
was first acquainted with this organi- 
zation until to-day we have never 
felt ourselves at liberty to stay away 
from our meetings unless we were 
sick or circumstances hindered us in 
some way or other. I can say that 
for myself, and I believe I can say 
the same for my brethren. We have 
always felt duty bound to attend our 
meetings, and if we do hot attend 
the question might arise, what has 
become of the Twelve Apostles? 
Where are they that they do not 
attend their meetings ? It would be 
a very proper question to ask. And 
if this responsibility rests upon us 
in the capacity which we occupy 
does it not rest upon other men? 
I think it does. I do not believe 
the Lord everrequired Joseph Smith 
or Brigham Young or any of their 
counselors to undertake to build up 
this kingdom alone. He never re- 
quired them to build these Temples 
alone. They trere required to per- 
form their duties, that is true 



190 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



Joseph Smith was called of God in- 
spired of God, raised up of the Lord, 
ordained of God long before he was 
bom, to stand in the flesh, as much 
as Jeremiah or any of the ancient 
prophets, to lay the foundation of 
this Church and kingdom. He per- 
formed his work faithfully. He 
labored faithfully while he taber- 
nacled in the flesh, and sealed his 
testimony with his blood. Other 
men were called also to build upon 
the foundation which he laid. 

We have in days that are past 
and gone been under the necessity 
of going forth to preach the Gospel 
in the world. We have had this to 
do. We have been called to do it. 
We have been ordained to do it. 
We have been commanded of God 
to do it, and so have hundreds of 
thousands of the elders of this 
Church and kingdom. We have all 
some responsibility, more or less, 
resting upon us, whether as regards 
going on missions or anything else. 
I remember Brother Joseph Smith 
visited myself, Brother Taylor, Bro- 
ther Brigham Young and several 
other missionaries, when we were 
about to take our mission to England. 
We were sick and afflicted many of 
us. At the same time we felt to go. 
The Prophet blessed us as also our 
wives and families ; and I was read- 
ing a day or two ago his instructions 
from my journal. He taught us 
some very important principles, some 
of which I here name. Brother 
Taylor, myself, George A. Smith, 
John E. Page and others had been 
called to fill the place of those who 
had fallen away. Brother Joseph 
laid before us the cause of those men's 
turning away from the command- 
ments of God. He hoped we would 
learn wisdom by what we saw with 
the eye and heard with the ear, and 
that we would be able to discern 
the spirits of other men without 



being compelled to learn by sad 
experience. He then remarked that 
any man, any elder in this Church 
and kingdom — ^who pursued a course 
whereby he would ignore or in other 
words refuse to obey any known 
law or commandment or duty — 
whenever a man did this, neglected 
any duty God required at his hand 
in attendingmeetings, filling missions, 
or obeying counsel, he laid a founda- 
tion to lead him to apostasy and this 
was the reason those men had 
fallen. They had misused th e priest- 
hood sealed upon their heads. They 
had neglected to magnify their call- 
ings as apostles as elders. They 
had used that priesthood to attempt 
to build themselves up and to perform 
some other work besides the build- 
ing iip of the kingdom of God. And 
not only did he give us the counsel, 
but the same is given in the revela- 
tion of God to us. I have ever read 
with a great deal of interest that 
revelation given to Joseph Smith in 
answer to his prayer in Liberty jail. 
I have ever looked upon that revela- 
tion of God to that man, considering 
the few sentences it includes, as con- 
taining as much principle sis any rev- 
elation God ever gave to man. He 
gave Joseph to understand that he 
held the priesthood, which priest- 
hood was after the order of God, 
after the order of Melchisedec,'the 
same priesthood by which God him- 
self performed all his works in the 
heavens and in the earth, and any 
man who bore that priesthood had 
the same power. That priesthood 
had communication with the heavens, 
power to move the heavens, power 
to perform the work of the heavens, 
and wherever any man magnified 
that calling, God gave his angels 
charge concerning him and his 
ministrations were of power and 
force both in this world and the 
world to come ; but let that man use 



DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, ETC. 



191 



that priesthood for any other pur- 
pose than the building up of the 
kingdom of God, for which purpose 
it was given, and the heavens with- 
draw themselves, the power of the 
priesthood departs, and he is left to 
walk in darkness and not in light, 
and this is the key to apostasy of all 
men whether in this generation or 
any other. 

Our responsibilities before the 
Lord are great. We have no right 
to break any law that God has given 
unto us. The more we do so the 
less power we have before God, 
before heaven and before the earth, 
and the nearer we live to God, the 
closer we obey his laws aud keep 
his commandments, the more power 
we will have, and the greater will be 
our desire for the building up of the 
kingdom of God while we dwell 
here in tlie flesh. 

We have no right to break the 
Sabbath. We have no right to 
neglect our meetings to attend to our 
labors. I do not believe that any 
man, who has ever belonged to this 
Church and kingdom, since its organi- 
zation, has made anything by attend- 
ing to his farm on the Sabbath : but 
if your ox falls into a pit get him 
out ; to work in that way is all just 
aud right, but for us to go fanning 
to the neglect of our meetings and 
other duties devolving upon us, is 
something we have no right to do. 
The Spirit of God does no like it, it 
withdraws itself from us, and we 
make no money by it. We should 
keep the Sabbath holy. We should 
attend our meetings. 

This kingdom is advancing. It 
has got to advance, and somebody 
has got to build it up. Somebody 
has got to labor in it. The God of 
heaven has had a people prepared 
before the world was made for this 
dispensation. He had a people pre- 
pared to stand in the flesh to iaike 



this kingdom and bear it ofif ; and the 
very spirit of the prophets and apos- 
tles, who have gone before us, has 
been manifested in the lives of faith- 
ful men and women from the organ- 
ization of this Church until today, 
and will continue until the coming 
of the Lord, as there are a great 
many men and women who will live 
their religion and carry out the pur- 
poses of God on the earth. 

It is our duty as apostles, as elders 
and as Latter-day Saints, to contem- 
plate, to reflect, to read the word of 
Grod, and to try to comprehend our 
condition, our position, and our re- 
sponsibility before the Lord. If our 
eyes were opened, if the vail were 
lifted, and we could see our condi- 
tion, our responsibility, and could 
comprehend the feelings of God our 
heavenly Father, and the heavenly 
hosts, and the justified spirits made 
perfect, in their watch-care over us, 
in their anxiety about us in our 
labors here in the flesh ; we would 
all feel that we have no time to 
waste in folly or anything else which 
brings to pass no good. All of us, 
as elders of Israel and as Latter-day 
Saints, bear some portion of the holy 
priesthood, either the Melchisedek 
or Aaronic. It is a kingdom of 
priests, and there is work enough for 
this people to magnify their calling. 
The Lord has agreed to sustain us, 
and to break every weapon that is 
formed against us. He has promised 
to sustain Zion, and when the Pro- 
phet saw this Zion of God in the 
mountains, his soul was filled with 
joy and he cried, " Sing, heavens, 
and be joyful, earth ; and break 
forth into singing, mountains; for 
the Lord hath comforted his people, 
and will have mercy upon his afflict- 
ed." Again the prophet says, " Can 
a woman forget her suckling child, 
that she should not have compassion 
I on the son of her womb 1— yea, they 



192 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



may fo^et, yet will I not forget 
thee.'' Zion has been before the face 
of the Lord since the creation of the 
world ! Our heavenly Father has 
protected this people. We have been 
favored from the day we set our feet 
in the valleys of the mountains, not- 
withstanding the tribulation and op- 
position we have had to contend 
with. All the designs of the wicked 
and ungodly to stop this work have 
been thwarted. The hand of God is 
over Zion. He is our Comforter. 
He sustains us, and we have every 
encouragement on the face of the 
earth, as Latter-day Saints, to be 
true and faithful unto him the little 
time we spend in the flesh. 

Our responsibilities are great ; our 
work is great. We not only have 
the Gospel to preach to the nations 
of the earth, but we have to fiU these 
valleys, towns, cities, etc., and we 
have, among other important things, 
to rear temples unto the name of the 
Lord before the coming of Christ. 
We have got to enter into .those 
temples and redeem our dead — ^not 
only the dead of our own family, but 
the dead of the whole spirit world. 
This is part of the great work of the 
Latter-day Saints. We shall build 
these temples and, if we do our duty, 
there is no power that can hinder 
this work, because the Lord is with 
us ; and certainly our aim. is high ! 
As a people we aim at celestial glory ; 
we aim at the establishment of the 
kingdom of God. We have been 
raised up for the purpose of warning 
the world ; to preach the Gospel ; to 
go to the meek of the earth and 
bring them to these valleys of the 
mountains, that they may be deliv- 
ered from the power of sin and 
Satan. Our numbers are many 
compared with former dispensations. 
Nevertheless, our numbers are few 
when compared with the twelve or 
fourteen hundred millions of inhab- 



itants who dwell in the flesh. Still, 
with the help of God, we have power 
to redeem the world. This is our 
work. We are obliged to labor and 
to continue to while we are here, 
and when we have finished our work, 
our sons, the rising generation, have 
got to take this kingdom and bear it 
off! 

Eight of the Quorum of the Twelve 
Apostles are in the spirit world to- 
day who were in the flesh when we 
came here, and so they pass away, 
one after another, when they finish 
their work. Do you suppose that in 
their minds and feelings they rea- 
lized they had done too much 1 I 
think not. Ju»t so with those who 
remain in the flesh. There is no 
time to throw away, and I would to 
God that the elders of Israel could 
fully realize and comprehend the 
great work that God has put upon 
their shoulders — the building up of 
his kingdom. 

This kingdom has continued to 
increase and spread. When we 
came here thirty-three years ago we 
found this place a barren desert. 
There was no mark of the white man 
here. It was a desert indeed, hardly 
a green thing to meet the eye. You 
c^n see to-day for yourselves. The 
inhabitants of Zion are a marvel and 
a wonder to the world. They 
occupy these valleys of the moun- 
tains from Idaho to Arizona. The 
valleys, as it were, are filled with 
Latter-day Saints. And who are 
these Latter-day Saints 1 They are 
the people whom the God of heaven 
has raised up in fulfilment of pro- 
mise and revelation. He has care- 
fully gathered them together by the 
power of the Gospel, by the power 
of revelation, and placed them here 
in the valleys of the mountains. 
Has there ever been any power* 
formed against this people 
that has been successful? Nay^ 



DUTIBS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, ETC. 



19a 



and this people will never see 
the day when our enemies shall pre- 
vail, for tlie very reason that God 
had decreed that Zion shall be built 
up; the kingdom that Daniel saw 
shall roll forth, until the little stone 
cut out of the mountain without 
hands shall fill the whole eartli. 
The people of God shall be prepared 
in the Latter-days to carry out the 
great programme of the Almighty, 
and all the powers of the earth and 
bell combined cannot prevent them. 
When I see the view that the world 
take in regard to this great latter-day 
work ; when I hear it questioned as 
to whether God has anything to do 
with it ; when I see the feeling of 
hatred that is manifested towards 
us, to me it is the strongest evidence 
that this is the work of God. Why] 
Because we have been chosen out of 
the world and therefore the world 
hate us. This is a testimony that 
Jew and Gentile and the whole 
world look at Then if this is the 
work of God what is the world going 
to do about it? What can this 
nation or the combined nations of 
the earth do about it 1 Can any 
power beneath the heavens stay the 
progress of the work of God 1 I tell 
you nay, it cannot be done. I do 
not boast Qf these things as the work 
of man ; it is the work of the Al- 
mighty ; it is not the work of man. 
The Lord has called men to labor in 
his kingdom, and I wish the elders 
would look upon this subject as it is 
and realize our position before the 
Lord. Here we are a handful of 
people chos«n out of some twelve or 
fourteen hundred millions of people; 
and my faith in regard to this mat- 
ter is that before we were bom^ 
before Joseph Smith was bom, 
before Biigham was bom — my faith 
is that we were chosen to come forth 
in this day and generation and do 
the work which God ha* designed 
Ko. IS. 



should be done. That is my vi^w 
in regard to the Latter-day Saints, 
and that is the reason why the apos- 
tles and elders in the early days of 
this Church had power to go forth 
without purse or scrip and preach 
the Gospel of Christ and bear record 
of his kingdom. Had it not been, 
for that power we could not have 
performed the work. We have had 
to be sustained by the hand of God 
until to-day, and we shall be sustain- 
ed until we ^et through, if we keep 
the commandments of God, and, if 
we do not, we shall fall, and the 
Lord will raise up other men to take 
our place. Therefore, 1 look upon 
it that we had a work assigned to u» 
before we were born. With regard 
to the faithful leaders of this Church 
and kingdom, beginning with Joseph 
Smith, how many times have I heard 
men say in my travels — Why did 
God choose Joseph Smith, why did 
he choose that boy to open up this 
dispensation and lay the foundation 
of this Church] Why did'nt he 
choose some great man, such as 
Henry Ward Beecher 1 I have had 
but one answer in my life to give to 
such a question, namely, that the 
Lord Almighty could not do any- 
thing with them, he could not 
humble them. They were not the 
class of men that were chosen for a 
work of this kind in any age of the 
world. The Lord Almighty chose 
the weak things of this world. He 
could handle them. He therefore 
chose Joseph Smith because he was 
weak, and he had sense enough to 
know it. He had the ministration 
of angels out of heaven. He had 
also the ministration of the Father 
and the Son and of the holy men 
who once dwelt in the flesh. 

We have been obliged to acknow- 
ledge the hand of GkmL From out 
of the pit have we been dug. We 
have been taken from the plough, 

VeL XXf 



194 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



the bench, the various occupations 
of life, having limited knowledge of 
what the world calls learning. The 
Lord has called this class of men as 
elders, and inspired by the power of 
God they have gone forth and warn- 
ed the world, and those of this 
generation who reject the testimony 
of these elders will be under con- 
demnation, for the elders will rise 
up in judgment and condemn them. 
The building up of this kingdom 
rests upon our shoulders — not upon 
the shoulders of Brother Taylor and 
the Twelve Apostles alone, but every 
man and every woman who has 
heard this Gospel and gone into the 
waters of baptism will be held 
responsible for the light and know- 
ledge they received. 

This is my testimony to you to- 
day. You have got the kingdom of 
God here. It has grown and in- 
creased, and will continue to grow 
and increase. I look at this build- 
ing ; I look at the tabernacle here ; 
I look at the temples that are being 
bnilt ; I see what is going on in the 
tiaountains of Israel, and I ask what 
is it? It is the work of God. I 
acknowledge his hand in it. This is 
the reason why we are inspired to 
Build these temples. Why we labor 
tb build them is because the day has 
(feiii« when they are needed. Joseph 
^ith went into the spirit world to 
unlock the prison doc«*s in this dis- 
^nsation or generation. He stayed 
l^e long enough td lay the founda- 
iAoti of this kingdom and obtain the 
Issyd belonging to it. The last time 
hfe efer met with th^ quorum of the 
IVelve was when he gavte them 
tf»eir endowments, atod wh6tt they 
1^ him he had a preseiifimeViet th)a,!; 
it was the last time they would ever 
nJteet. He ha;d something to do the 
<Wher side of the vail. He had a 
thousand to prfe«ach to there; where 
joxt and I Imve one in the fleiih. 



And this is the great work of the 
last dispensation — the redemption of 
the living and the dead. 

We ought not, as elders of Israel, 
to treat lightly the blessings we 
enjoy. We ought not to treat 
lightly the holy priesthood, or 
attempt to use it for any other pur- 
pose under the whole heavens other 
than to build up the Zion of God. 
The counsel that has been given this 
forenoon upon this matter we should 
lay to heart. The eyes of all the 
heavenly hosts are over this people. 
They are watching us with the deep- 
est anxiety. They understand things 
better than we do, for our vail is 
our bodies,- and when our spirits 
leave them we will not have a great 
way to get into the spirit world. 
They know the warfare we have 
with wicked spirits and with a 
wicked world, but what encourage- 
ment we have when we read the 
revelations ! We live in a genera- 
tion when the Lord has decreed that 
his kingdom shall be preserved. 
The prophets of every other dispensa- 
tion have been called to seal their 
testimony with their blood. My 
faith is that those of this dispensa- 
tion will not be called to do this. 
Joseph a4id Hyrum, it is true, were 
called to lay down their lives. 
Why? I brfieve myself it was 
necessary to seal a dispensiation of 
this almighty magnitude with the 
blood of the testator for one thing, 
and for another thing the jieOple 
were worthy that pufc him to death, 
and will have the bill to pay as the 
Jefws had to* pay fbr the Mood of the 
Messiah ; bat aid fkr as the leaderi^of 
this pefiiple and the people getfetally 
arfe conefefftfed, I think th* liord te- 
tenfds we shoi^ live at peace-. With 
regard to Brigham Yoting, vre all 
know the disposition t^ere wias ba 
tb6 part dThid enemies to- take hup 
lif^. 1' ii6^t bfeli^ed, kowevw, 



DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, ETC. 



195 



that he would die a violent death. 
Neither do I believe that we shall 
be required to go forth and stain 
our swords in the blood of our fellow 
men in our defence. It has been 
decreed that the wicked shall slay 
the wiclred. Now, I give you my 
views regarding these things. I 
speak the sentiments of my own 
heart and what I believe. The 
judgments of our God will be poured 
forth, but the elders of Israel will 
not be called upon to slay the 
wicked. The wicked will slay the 
wicked. When I read the Bible, the 
Book of Mormon and the Book of 
Doctrine and Covenants, I feel that 
it is with us as with the generation 
that lived in the days of Ezekirf. 
In those days the Lord told the pro- 
phet to tell the people that what he 
said he meant to fulfil. And so it 
is in the day and age in which we 
live. All things will be fulfilled. 
The judgments of Almighty God 
will be poured out upon the wicked. 
The harvest is ripe, and I know the 
farmer has got to cut his crops when 
they are ripe, otherwise they will go 
back into the ground and rot. 

When I see the wickedness and 
abomination that prevail in Babylon, 
covering the earth, as it were, like a 
mighty sea — ^when I see these things 
I feel to ask myself the question, 
how long can these things rise up in 
the sight of heaven and not have 
their reward 1 In my own mind I 
can see a change at our door. In 
the face of the revelations I cannot 
see how it can be otherwise. The 
signs of heaven and earth all indi- 
cate the near coming of the Son of 
Man. You read the 9th, 10th and 
11th chapters of the last Book of 
Nephi, and see what the Lord has 
said will take place in this genera- 
tion, when the Gospel of Christ has 
again been offered to the inhabitants 
of the earth. The Lord did not 



reveal the day of the coming of the 
Son of Man, but he revealed tho 
generation. That generation is* 
upon us. The signs of heaven and 
earth predict the fulfilhnent of these 
things, and they will come to pass. 

Therefore, let us try to live our 
religion. We have the kmgdom of 
God: There is no question about 
this. There was none with Joseph 
Smith when the angels of God 
ministered unto him, and we had a 
living testimony of this work from 
that day to thosv What is the great- 
est testimony any man or woman 
can have a& to this being the work 
of G6d ] I wiil tell you what is the 
greatest testimony I have ever had, 
the most sure testimony, that is the 
testimony of the Holy Ghost, the 
testimony of the Father and the 
Son. We may have the ministration 
of angels ; we may be wrapt in the 
visions of heaven — ^these things, as 
testimonies are very good, but when 
you receive the Holy Ghost, when 
you receive the testimony of thft 
Father and the Son, it is a true 
principle to every man on earth, it- 
deceives no man, and by that princi- 
ple you can learn and understand 
the mind of God. Eevelation has 
been looked upon by this Church, a» 
well as by the world, as something 
very marvelous. What is revela- 
tion ] The testim<my of the Father 
and Son. How many of you have 
had revelation ? How many of yow 
have had the Spirit of God whisper 
unto you — the still small voice. I 
would have been in the spirit world 
a great many years ago, if I had not 
followed the promptings of the still 
small voice. These were the revela- 
tions of Jestrs Christ, the strongest 
testimony a man or a woman can 
have. I have had many testimonies 
since I have been connected with 
this Church and kingdom. I have 
been blessed at times with certain 



196 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



gifts and graces, certain revelations 
and ministrations ; but with, them 
all I have never found anything that 
I could place more dependence upon 
than the still small voice of the Holy 
Ghost. 

I know this is the work of God. I 
know God is with this peopla I am 
anxious for them. I am anxious for 
the rising generation, for the young 
men and young women, for I know 
this kingdom has got to rest upon 
their shoulders. When I see the 
evils that exist in Salt Lake City, I 
realize they are in danger. Our 
responsibilities as parents are great. 
We have not only to set an example 
ourselves, but we must pray for 
them, and counsel them, and I am 
satisfied that the Lord will prepave 
our young men and young maidens, 
the sons and daughters of this peo- 
ple, so that they will take this king- 
dom and bear it off. The kingdom 
will never be thrown down or given 
to another people. 

I thank God I live in Ihis day and 
age of the world. I thank God that 
I heard the Gospel. • I thank the 
Lord I have been made partaker of 
the holy priesthood in connection 
with the Gospel, and all the fears I 
have had have been about myself 
and friends. I never had any fears 
about the kingdom of God. I do not 
have any to-day. I realize and 
understand, as well as I know any- 



thing, that this kingdom is ordained 
to stand. It will grow and increase. 
Zion will arise and put on her beau- 
tiful garments. The only fears that 
I have are with regard to myself, my 
family, my wives and my children. 
We are surrounded with temptations, 
which have a tendency to lead us. 
away. We have got to guard against 
them ; we have got to increase our 
faith and live nearer and nearer to 
the Lord. 

I pray God to bless you and bless 
this people, and bless those who are 
called to watch over us. We havef 
to watch as well as pray. We have 
to guard the Church and kingdom of 
God. By and by our mission will 
close. We will soon pass away and 
shall reap our reward. We are living, 
in the last dispensation. Joseph 
Smith, I expect, will sound ihe sixth, 
trumpet. He will be at the head of 
this dispensation ; or, if he does not 
blow the trumpet of this dispensa> 
tion, I do not know who will^ 
Somebody has got to do it, and it 
must be somebody holding the keys 
of the various dispensations of the 
world. No other angels are coming 
from any other world to administer 
in this dispensation ; those men 
will minister who dwelt here in tho 
flesh. 

May God bless us and help> us to 
keep his commandments^ foir JesusT 
sake. Amen. 



PRE-EXISTfiNCE, ETC. 



197 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT, 
Delivered at Mount Pleasant, November 12th, 1879. 

(Reported hy Geo. F, Gibbs.) 

PRE-EXISTENCE, in spiritual form, of man, the lower ANIMAIfi 
AND the earth — ^THE TEMPORAL PROBATIONARY STATE — THE MIL- 
LENNIUM —THE FINAL CHANGE. 



Through the kind providence of 
our heavenly Father we are permit- 
ted, on this pleasant day, t« assemble 
here in this comfortable house, for 
the purpose of worshiping God, and 
hearing instruction as the Lord may 
see proper, in his kindness and 
wisdom, to pour out his spirit, and 
make manifest the truth to us. It 
is a pleasing thing for the human 
mind, to contemplate that it has 
some object to worship ; that there 
is a being, far exalted above us, who 
dwells in the heavens, who is worthy 
^f all adoration and praise ; and that 
we are his children, in possession of 
a portion of his attributes. 

Tlie world which we inhabit is a 
fallen creation, a fallen world, shut 
out from the presence of our Father, 
the being whom we worship, so that 
we cannot behold his face, nor the 
glory of his presence. It is for a 
wise purpose, that we are placed 
here, in this fallen condition. It 
«eems to be so, as far as we have 
been made acquainted with the pur- 
poses of the great Jehovah. It 
seems to be the ordeal, through 
which all intelligent beings must 
pass, in order to gain that fullness of 
exaltation, in the presence of God, 
which is promised in his word. 



We were not always in the condi- 
tion we are now in. We are only 
placed here for a few years, and are 
adapted to our present condition. A 
long tiine before you and I came 
here upon this stage of action, we 
had an intelligent existence; we 
dwelt in a better world than this, 
and a world that had been redeemed, 
a world that had been sanctified and 
glorified ; in other words, a world 
that had been made celestial, just as 
we are in hopes that our present 
world will, at some future period, be 
exalted to the celestial glory, and 
become the habitation of celestial 
beings. That world we occupied, 
before we came here, was celestial ; 
our Father had his dwelling place 
there, or, at least, one of his dwell- 
ing places ; and we were surrounded 
by our Father s glory, we were fami- 
liar with his countenance, familiar 
with the beautiful mansions that 
were there, — familiar with all the 
glory that existed there, so far as 
we were capable of comprehending. 
There was no vail drawn between 
us and our Father, no vail drawn 
between us and the associates of our 
Father, who were also celestial 
beings, many of them having been 
redeemed from a world more ancient 



198 



J0UKN4L OF DISCOURSES. 



than ours. We had a long experi- 
ence, I suppose, in that worid ; at 
least, we know from that which our 
Father has revealed to us, that we 
were born there ; that this intelli- 
gent being that has power to dis- 
cern, power to reflect, power to 
reason, — that this intelligent being 
was born in that previous estate. 

These were some of the first 
revelations given in tliis last dispen- 
sation. The Lord did not wait 
eeveral years, before he revealed unto 
.us, in some measure, concerning our 
condition before we came here. 
Hence, it was away back in the year 
1830, that this doctrine of the pre- 
existence of man was revealed, in 
greater fullness, than it was given in 
the Book of Mormon. There are 
two or three places in the Book of 
Mormon that reveal the pre-exist- 
. ence of man ; but not in such great 
plainness, as was given soon after 
the publication of that Book, through 
the Prophet Joseph Smith, before 
the Saints began to gather, informing 
us that we Were in reality the child- 
ren ofour Father and God ; that we had 
a pre-existence in which we had 
learned many very in^portant princi- 
ples, connected with spiritual exist- 
ence, before taking bodies of flesh 
and bones, which was also necessary 
to afford us a still greater experience. 
Now, in this plan that God has 
dlevised for the advancement of these 
intelligent beings — by passing them 
through various stages of existence, 
under different circumstances, and in 
different conditions, — he gives them 
experience that they never could 
have gained, had they remained in 
the presence of the rather, in that 
world which was celestial ; in other 
words, we were his off*spring in that 
world, our spiritual bodies not 
having flesh and «bones, but being in 
the image. of the Father and Son, — 
his own sons and daughters. He 



had a great desire that we should be 
educated and taught. He could 
teach us a great many things in that 
world as we teach our children ; ha 
could impart to us a great many 
things — ^for there were as many 
truths in existence in that day a& 
are in existence now ; but truths 
were taught to us, as we were 
capable of understanding them. 
The Lord felt anxious that we might 
come up and eventually be made 
like him, as it is written in the New 
Testament, "who shall change our 
vile body that it may be fashioned 
like unto his glorious body." I have 
no doubt before we came into this 
world, we had a great anxiety, that 
we might be brought up in the same 
way he was instructed and taught, 
and led along, passing through differ- 
ent conditions of existence, that we 
finally might be counted worthy to 
be exalted at his right hand, and 
receive the fullness of his celestial 
glory the same that he is in posses- 
sion of and that we might have all 
his attributes, dwelling within us, 
as separate individuals and person- 
ages, that he might exalt us like 
unto himself. Now, there is a great 
deal to be comprehended, when we 
are told that we are children who 
will become like our Father; that we 
were like him in our first stage and 
condition of existence. We were 
there, as it were, children without a 
fullness of knowledge ; many experi- 
ences had not yet been given to us; 
but we were like him in our general 
outline — the outline of our persons ; 
our general form was like him, 
" after his image" etc., It is thus 
written in the Book of Mormon, in 
that great vision to the brother of 
Jared, in which the Lord conde- 
scended to take the vail off his eyes. 
The brother of Jared had gone up 
into the mountain, and had moulten 
out of a rock sixteen small stones^ 



PBE-EXISTKNCE, KTC. 



191 



which he carried up into the top of 
the meant He went there with an 
object in view ; the object was to 
get the Lord to touch the stones 
that they might shine forth in dark- 
ness in the eight vessels, (which had 
been built to convey him and his 
brother across the great waters) one 
to be placed at each end of each of 
the vessels. It would naturally in- 
crease the faith of the brother of 
Jared, to believe it possible that he 
might see the finger of the Lord. 
He was going to pray that God would 
touch the stones, the same as we 
pray for the Lord to put forth his 
finger and touch the particles of oil, 
when we dedicate it, for sacred purr 
poses. If we pray in faith, we must 
suppose that the finger touches the 
oil. And Jared prayed in faith, 
He did not know but what it might 
be his privilege to see his finger. 
He did see it ; it appeared to him 
like the finger of a man, like unto 
flesh and blood. But his faith was 
too great for his nervous system ; 
for when he saw the finger of the 
Lord, he fell to the earth through 
fear. And the Lord looked unto him 
and asked him why he had fallen. 
He answered and said, ^^ I saw the 
finger of the Lord and I feared lest 
he 6hould smite me ; for I knew not 
that the Lord had flesh and blood." 
He did not know but what his 
imperfections were so great, that the 
Lord would smite him ; but he was 
commanded to arise. . The Lord 
then asked him, ** Sawest thou more 
than this?" And he answered, 
" nay. Lord, shew thyself unto me." 
Here was a prayer that extended a 
Httle further. The Lord wanted to 
see what amount of faith he had. 
and he put another question to him, 
*• Believest /thou the words which 1 
shall speak f And he answered, 
**Yea, Lovd, I know that thou 
speakest the truth for thou art a 



God of truth and canst not lie." 
And when the brother of Jared had 
manifested his faith, the Lord con> 
descended to show his whole person- 
age to him, and said, ^* Seest thou 
that ye are created after mine own 
image. Behold, this body, which 
ye now behold is the body of my 
spirit, and man have I cceated after 
the body of my spirit." 

Here the pre-existeuce of man was 
taught in the Book of Mormon. 
" All men in the beginning were 
created after the image of this body 
which he was then shewing. All 
the human family that then existed^ 
and that would exist in future tira^ 
upon the earth, were created in the 
beginning, after the image of that 
body ; that is, that body which te 
showed was not a body of flesh and 
bones, but a pure spiritual body, 
organized out of pure spiritual sub- 
stance, filled with light and truth. 
He informed this great man of God, 
that he was prepared, from before 
the foundation of the world, to 
redeem his people. " Behold," sa>8 
he, " I am Jesus Christ, I am the 
Father and the Sou. In me shall 
all mankind have light, and that 
eternally, even they who shall bdieve 
on my name." 

Here, then, was a great deal of 
information given to us, concerning 
the formation of the human spirit, 
the formation of men, — the formation 
of their persons, and their indivi- 
dualities, before the foundation qf 
this world. 

It was after this was given, and 
the Book of Mormon was published, 
that the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints arose. But the 
Lord, thinking that we had not 
sufficient understanding of this pre- 
existence, began to tell us (.in the 
month of June 1830, only a few 
months after the organization of tlie 
Church) more about these things. 



soo 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



He told us about the spiritual crea- 
tion, something we did not compre- 
hend before. We used to read the 
first and second chapters of Genesis 
which give an account of the works 
of the Almighty, but did not dis- 
tinguish between the spiritual work 
and the temporal work of Christ. 
Althouo;h tliere are some things in 
King James' translation that give 
us a little distinction between the 
two creations, yet we did not com- 
prehend it. The light shone, in 
some measure, in darkness, but so 
dark were our minds, through tradi- 
tion, that we did not comprehend 
the light — or the few feeble glim- 
merings of light, contained in these 
first and second chapters of tlie 
uninspired translation. But our 
heavenly Father inspired his servant 
Joseph Smith, to translate several 
chapters more in the Book ot Gene- 
sis, in December 1830, which gave a 
more full account, down to the days 
of the flood. He told us a great 
many important principles, princi- 
ples that he did not give, so far as 
the historical matter was concerned, 
in the Book of Mormon. They were 
an addition in some respects, and 
therefore, they were iiew to us, who 
lived in the early rise of the Church, 
and calculated to give us great joy. 

In these two creations that took 
place in the begin nMig, represented 
as the beginning of this creation — 
not absolutely the begmning of all 
the creations of God ; for his works 
are without beginning and without 
end, they never cease, nor does his 
word cease ; he speaks to us, so far 
as this creation is concerned, accord- 
ing to our natural ideas and under- 
standing. He says, "all things I 
have created by the word of my 
power, which is the power of my 
spirit — I created them firstly spiri- 
tual and secondly temporal, which is 
the beginning of my work ; and 



again firstly temporal, and secondly 
spiritual, which is the last of my 
work, speaking unto you that yoa 
may naturally understand; but unto 
myself my works have no end 
neither beginning." 

We learn, therefore, when speak- 
ing of this spiritual creation, that not 
only all the children of men, of all 
generations, and of all ages, were 
created spiritually in heaven, but 
that fish and fowls, and beast, and 
all animated things, having life, 
were first made spiiitual in heaven, 
on the fifth and fixth days, before 
bodies of flesh were prepared for 
them on the earth ; and that there 
was no flesh upon the earth until 
the morning of the seventh day. 
On that morning Grod made the 
first fleshly tabernacleand took man's 
spirit and put within it, and man 
became a living soul — the first flesh 
upon the earth — ^the first man also. 
Though it Was the seventh day, no 
flesh but this one tabernacle was yet 
formed. No fish, fowl and beast 
was as yet permitted to have a body 
of flesh. The second chapter of 
Genesis, (new translation) informs 
us that the spirits of fowls were 
created in heaven, the spirits of fish 
and cattle, and all things that dwell 
upon the earth, had their pre-exist- 
ence. They were created in heaven, 
the spiritual part of them ; not their 
flesh and bones. We are also told 
in this inspired translation, that 
these living trees which we behold — 
for God has given life unto all things 
— had their spiritual existence in 
heaven before their temporal exist- 
ence ; every herb and every tree, 
before it was planted out on the 
earth, that is, the spiritual part of 
it, the life of it, that which, in other 
words, animates, that which gives 
power to the vegetable to bring 
forth fruit after its likeness — the 
spiritual part existed in heaven. It 



PRE-EXISTENOE, ETC. 



201 



ifas a spiritual creation first. We 
are also told that the earth was 
orgauized in a spiritual form, that 
is, that portion that gives life 
to the earth. We read about 
the earth's dying, and that it 
shall be quickened again. What 
is it that will, make the earth 
die 1 It will be the withdrawing of 
the spiritual portion from it, that 
which gives it life— that which ani- 
mates it, and causes it to bring forth 
fruit ; that which quickens the earth 
is the Spirit of God. Tliat spiritual 
creation existed before the temporal 
was formed. This was the beginning 
of the first part of his work, pertain- 
ing to this creation. On the seventh 
day he began the temporal portion. 
There was not yet a man to till the 
ground, '^ and the gods formed man 
from the dust of the ground, and 
took his spirit — that is the man's 
spirit — and put it into him and 
breathed into his nostrils the breath 
of life, and man became a living 
soul." This we read in the 2nd 
chapter of Genesis, and you will find 
it recorded on the 6th and 35th 
pages of the new edition of the Pearl 
of Great Price. 

Abraham also obtained a know- 
ledge of the spiritual creation, as well 
as the temporal. In giving a history 
of the creation, he speaks of the 
formation of man out of the ground, 
how he took man's spirit that was 
created in heaven and put it within 
the body of man, and man became a 
living soul — ^the first flesh upon the 
earth, as recorded in the second of 
Genesis. Now, we have been in the 
habit of thinking that the various 
kinds of animals that have lived, ac- 
cording to geologists, were the first 
flesh on the earth, and we .go away 
back millions of ages to see that 
these lower formations of life existed 
before man. But the Lord gives us 
different information from this, tie 



shows us that among all the anima* 
ted creatures of flesh, man M^as the 
first that was ever placed upon the 
earth in this temporal condition, 
contradicting the theories of geolo- 
gists — that is, so far as placing man 
on the earth in this present proba- 
tion is concerned. What may have 
taken place millions of ages before 
the world was organized temporally 
for man to inhabit is not revealed ; 
but, so far as this present change is 
concerned, that took place about six 
thousand years ago, man was the 
first being that came upon the earth 
and inhabited a body of flesh and 
bones. Afterwards, on the seventh 
day, out of the ground the Lord God 
created the beasts of the field. Go 
back to the first chapter of Genesis, 
and you will find that the beasts, 
etc., were formed on the sixth day 
or period, and that on the seventh 
there was no flesh on the eaith, and 
having created man as the first 
fiesh upon the earth, God then crea- 
ted, out of the ground, the beasts of 
the field. 

Here is the second part of the 
beginfiing of liis work : firstly, spiri- 
tual, — the beasts created in heaven ; 
then, secondly, temporal, — their 
bodies formed out of the ground, 
their spirits being put within these 
bodies, and the beasts became living 
souls. As it was with the birds of 
the air, so with the fish of the sea, 
and so with all animated creatures 
pertaining to this world. This is 
the history of the generations of the 
heavens and the earth, on the day 
that the Lord God created them; 
and the Lord has seen proper to re- 
veal this great information in the 
first of Genesis, and in the Book of 
Abraham. 

Now, let us consider the condition 
of the temporal work, for it is need- 
ful for us to understand these things, 
that we may advance in the know- 



202 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



ledge of God, in the knowledge of 
truth, in this great school of experi- 
ence. Let us try to understand, 
then, the nature of the temporal 
work; for it was formed in the man- 
ner specified in this revelation. Was 
there any death in this creation after 
the temporal was formed, before the 
fall ? No. Were any birds of the 
air subject to death? No. Were 
any of the fishes of the sea 1 No. 
Were there any animals placed on 
the earth in their temporal condition 
their bodies being formed and adap- 
ted to the spirit that came from hea- 
ven — were any subject to death ] 
No. Were they ferocious] No. 
To every animal that God had grant- 
ed life he had given every green 
herb of the field for meat, whether it 
was the lion, the leopard, the wolf, 
or whatever animal may have exist- 
ed upon the face of the earth. 
There was no such thing as one 
animal destroying another — fighting 
and quarrelling were unknown 
among the beasts of the field. A 
little child, if there had been any, 
could have played, so far as any 
danger was concerned, with these 
animals, and they feasted upon the 
'een herbs which were given to the 
iasts for their sustenance. By and 
by, a garden was made eastward in 
Eden, in which the Lord planted a 
great many beautiful trees, This 
was purely a temporal work, and 
that Garden would have existed un- 
til to-day if death had not come into 
the world through the fall of our 
first parents. 

How different was the second or 
temporal work, that existed in the 
beginning of the great work of crea- 
tion, from the present order of 
things ! Now we see, and according 
to history we learn, that all creation 
are at enmity one with another in 
their natural state. Hence we find 
the lions with teeth, probably con- 



structed since the fall, and adapted 
to devour their prey. I do not 
believe they had such teeth in the 
beginning. They had teeth with 
wMch they ate " straw like the ox." 
But everything was changed in a 
great measure, in this beautiful tem- 
poral creation ; and the beasts began 
to fight, and quarrel and devour 
each other ; and man began to be 
ferocious, like the beasts, desirous 
to kill his fellow man. We see him 
at this early stage in our race, seek- 
ing the blood of his fellows, and 
entering into secret combinations to 
kill, and destroy, and rob one ano- 
ther of their position and property, 
and to be at enmity one against ano- 
ther. The Lord in the midst of this 
fallen condition of his tempoi-al work, 
has permitted it to continue for 
about 0,000 years. But mankind 
have been devising a multitude of 
measures, by which they reform one 
another ; but after they get pretty 
well reformed they rise up again and 
devour one another by wholesale. 
While they are engaged in reform- 
ing each other, they are making 
weapons of destruction to destroy 
one another. Enmity prevails, and 
has prevailed, for the last 6,000 
years, with the exception of now and 
then a dispensation, being intro- 
duced, wherein this fallen nature of 
ours becomes, in a great measure, 
changed through obedience to the 
plan of salvation which God has 
revealed ; and then we begin to love 
our fellow-men, are filled with love 
and kindness like, in some measure, 
our heavenly Father, going forth and 
proclaiming to them the Gospel of 
peace, and trying to do them good, 
and redeem them, and reclaim them; 
and we. succeed, now and then, in 
bringing some to a higher state; 
they are born of God, and become 
new creatures in Christ, being filled 
with that superior power, that exists 



PRE-EXISTENCE, ETC. 



203 



in that celestial world, where we 
formerly resided. It comes down 
from the Father, and from the Son, 
and enters into the hearts of the 
sons and daughters of God, and they 
are made new creatures ; they begin 
to love that which is good, and hate 
that which is evil, and begin to per- 
fect themselves in their various dis 
pensations, according to the light 
and knowledge sent down from hea- 
ven for their perfection. 

Notwithstanding so many dispen- 
sations, and the world has continued 
so long under the power of Satan, 
now is the time when the Lord our 
God has begun to send forth a pro- 
clamation of redemption, to lift us 
up out of this low fallen condition 
in which we have been placed, and 
our fathers before us, for so long a 
time ; and it so happens that we are 
living very near the period when the 
earth will be restored from its fallen 
condition to that same temporal con- 
dition in which it existed before the 
fall, when there was no enmity 
existing between mankind. I say, 
the day is now almost at hand when 
the Lord is going to begin the last 
of his work, which will be to make 
this earth again temporal — or in 
other words, to remove, in some 
measure, the curse: — to restore it 
back to the temporal condition in 
which it was when he first organized 
it and before sin contaminated it. 
. In order to accomplish this work, 
he is working, according to his own 
wiU and pleasure, among the nations, 
raising up a kingdom, a nucleus, by 
taken them '* one of a city and two 
of a family," gathering them out 
from every nation to the land of 
Zion and planting the truth in their 
hearts ; they become more and more 
instructed and learn more and more 
of the ways of the Lord, preparatory 
to the organization of this world 
again in its temporal beauty and 



perfection as it was when it first 
issued forth in its temporal form 
from the hands of the Almighty. 

There is one thing connected with 
the temporal form of the earth 
which I did not mention ; I will 
refer to it now. While this earth 
existed in its more perfect temporal 
form, Adam and Eve were placed 
upon it, and they were immortal, 
just like all the beasts and just like 
the fishes of the sea ; death had not 
yet come upon any of them ; all 
things were immortal so far as this 
creation was concerned. The first 
pairs, the beginning of his temporal 
work, were not subject to death. 
And another thing, they were not 
to be shut out from the presence of 
the Almighty. They could behold 
his countenance, they could hear his 
voice. Th©se who then existed — 
could converse with him freely. 
There was no veil between them 
and the Lord. Now, when the 
more perfect temporal condition 
shall be restored again, in the last 
of his work, and the Lord shall 
begin to remodel this earth, to trans- 
figure it, and get it prepared for the 
righteous, the veil will be taken 
away, in a measure ; we shall behold 
the face of the Lord again ; we shall 
be able to associate with immortal 
beings again ; and we shall be able 
to enjoy a great many blessings that 
were introduced in the beginning, 
which were lost through the fall. 
The Lord Jesus Christ will be here, 
a part of the time, to instruct us, 
and those ancient patriarchs, Adam 
included, will come down out of 
their ancient celestial world, where 
they were first made spiritual. 
They are coming upon this creation ;. 
and they will have their homesteads 
here ; and they will frequently, na 
doubt, take great joy in gathering 
together their faithful children, 
from the day of their own probation 



204 



JOURNAL OF msC0UR8K8. 



to the one hundredth generation. 
It will be some pleasure for one of 
our ancestors that was born a hun- 
dred generations ago to say, "Come, 
my children, you that are here in 
the flesh that have not as yet 
'become immortal, you that dwell 
upon the face of this earth, partially 
redeemed — come, I have some glori- 
ous tidings to communicate to you. 
I have something that you are not 
in possession of, knowledge you have 
not gained, because we have been 
up in yonder celestial world ; we 
have been dwelling in the presence 
of our Father and Grod. We were 
restored there in the dispensation in 
which we died and in which we were 
translated, and we have learned a 
great many things that the childrtsn 
of mortality do not know anything 
.about. Come, gather yourselves 
together, that you may behold your 
former fathers, your fathers* fathers 
And so on, until you extend back 
for a hundred generations. Hear 
the instructions that they shall im- 
part to you. They w^ill tell you 
about the celestial kingdom, and the 
higher glory thereof, and the bles- 
43ings that are to be enjoyed by those 
that attain to the fulness of that 
kingdom." Will not this be encou- 
raging to those that are yet mortal, 
during the millennium 1 I think it 
-will. Then will the knowledge of 
the fathers, the knowledge of the 
«arth, and of the things of God, and 
the knowledge of that which is 
celestial, and great, and glorious, 
and far beyond the comprehension 
of imperfect beings as we now are 
in our fallen state — then that know- 
ledge will be opened up to the 
minds of the children of men, during 
their respective generations here 
upon the earth, during the great 
sabbath of creation. What is all 
this fori It is to prepare their 
children, during the millennium that 



they may have this earth made 
celestial, like unto the more ancient 
one, that they, with this creation, 
may be crowned with the presence 
of God the Father, and his Son 
Jesus Christ. We gain this know- 
ledge and information by degrees. 
Our children are educated and 
taught, until the heavens become 
familiar with them ; the Lord be- 
comes familiar with them ; his coun- 
tenance becomes familiar to all the 
righteous of the earth. Before we 
can fully understand the nature of a 
still greater change than that which 
has been wrought upon the temporal 
creation, during the millennium, 
we begin to expect it, and look for 
it, and bye and bye, when evil fruit 
again appears in the Lord's vine- 
yard, and the earth is corrupted by 
the sons of perdition, and some of 
his people begin to reject the hea- 
venly light, and deny their Gx>d, — 
when this period of time shall come 
the earth will be spared only for a 
little season, and the end will come, 
and the great white throne will 
l' appear, and God will sit upon the 
throne, and utter forth his voice and 
our temporal heaven will flee away ; 
and this earth although it will be so 
greatly blessed, although it is so far 
redeemed, although it is inhabited 
by the righteous for a thousand 
years, yet, because it will become 
contaminated, and because it has 
been so corrupted in tHe past, in 
consequence of the fall of man, it 
will have to die and undergo a 
greater change, than all those 
changes of which I have spoken. 

But what says the revelation, 
called the "Olive Leaf," given Dec 
27th, 1832, on this subject 1 We 
are told in this that the earth shall 
die, and pass away, but it shall be 
quickened again, for God shall 
quicken the earth upon which we 
live. It will become a new earth : 



PRE-EXISTENCE ETC. 



205 



but will be prepared more perfectly 
than it was under the three other 
conditions in which it was placed ; 
first its spiritual creation, secondly 
its * temporal, in which its spiritual 
and temporal were combined. The 
next condition is that of restoring it 
from the fall back to a temporal con- 
dition, and then a still greater 
change, like unto the death of our 
bodies, when our bodies crumble 
back to mother earth and pass them- 
selves among the elements. So it 
will be with this earth. It will 
crumble, or in other words, the ele- 
ments will be separated asunder, 
and the world will pass away from 
his presence. What nextl Ano- 
ther great change to be wrought. 
The same elements, constituting the 
earth, and the atmosphere will be 
brought together again, in such a 
manner and way, that the new earth 
will look like unto a sea of glass, 
and those who ara worthy of the 
celestial glory will inhabit it forever. 
What will be the condition of the 
people who dwell upon that glorious 
celestial world 1 They will have the 
presence of God the Father with 
them. They will be permitted to 
dwell where he is. He will light 
up that world ; they will have no 
need of the rays of the sun, as we 
now have, neither of the moon, nor 
stars, so far as light is concerned, for 
the Lord God will be their light and 
their glory from that time hence- 
forth and forever. In this new crea- 
tion the tree of life will flourish and 
grow. All beings that partake of 
the fruit of the tree of life will be 
constituted, so that they will live 
for ever and ever. 

These are the different conditions 
of this creation given in a general 
outline. We are now living near 
the close of 6000 years during which 
time evil and wickedness have pre- 
vailed. The devil has had great 



power and dominion over the genera- 
tions of the earth ; and the earth 
itself has groaned under the load of 
sin an<i corruption which has been 
upon its face. Enoch when envel- 
oped in the vision of the Almighty, 
beheld and heard the earth groan 
under this load of wickedness, cry- 
ing out to the Lord, saying — *' When 
will my creator sanctify me, that 
righteousness may abide upon my 
face. When shall I rest from all 
the wickedness that has gone out of 
me." He was informed that there 
was a day of rest coming for old 
mother earth, — for he was grieved 
in his heart for the earth itself, as 
well as the inhabitants thereof ; for 
he saw how the earth was afflicted, 
until she groaned to be relieved. 
But the time will come, when it 
will be sanctified. We are living 
near that period of time. It is for 
this purpose you have come to these 
mountains. It is for this purpose 
you have received the spirit of truth, 
the Holy Ghost, the comforter, to 
sanctify you, and prepare you to 
take part in this great work of the 
latter-days, which God has decreed 
from the beginning should come to 
pass in its time and season. 

You have come from the nations 
abroad, to be instructed in the ways 
of the Lord, to be taught in the 
ordinances that pertain to the great 
and last dispensation of the fullness 
of times, — ordinances that did not 
pertain to any former dispensation, 
— ordinances that were not made 
known to any former people, but 
ordinances and principles that per- 
tain to the exaltation and glory of 
the world which we inhabit 

This being then the present con- 
dition of our earth, the present con- 
dition of the Latter-day Saints, and 
the work that is before them, to pre- 
pare them for the coming of the 
Lord, and for the redemption of tho 



206 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



eai'th, what manner of persons 
ought you and I to be, to prepare 
for so great a change which is to 
come over the face of this creation 1 
How ought we to act and conduct 
ourselves? How careful we ought 
to be in our doings, in all our con- 
versations, in all our ways, to sancti- 
fy the Lord God in our hearts, to 
have an eye single to his glory, to 
keep his commandments in all 
things, to obey him with full purpose 
of heart, that we may be visited 
with more and more of that heaven- 
ly divine spirit, the Comforter, the 
Holy Ghost which we had confirmed 
upon us, by authority, through the 
laying on of hands. That Comforter 
should be nourished and cherished 
in our hearts. We should not 
grieve it. We should listen to its 
whisperings, and we should seek 
after more light, and knowledge, 
and truth. We must not expect 
the Holy Spirit to impart the future 
knowledge that will be necessary for 
the advancement of Latter-day 
Saints without any exertion of the 
mind on our part. In all things the 
Lord requires man as an agent to 
exert his faculties in order to obtain 
any blessing, of whatever nature it 
may be, whether ii be the spirit of 
vision or the spirit of translating, or 
any other gift. We cannot let our 
minds remain dormant, taking no 
thought, expecting to be filled with 
the spirit of translation, or the spirit 
of inspiration, or revelation, or 
vision ; but there must be an exer- 
tion of the mind, there must be an 
exercise of the agency of man and 
woman, in order that we may reach 
out after these great and glorious 

fifts, promised to us. And by and 
y, we will, after a school of expe- 



rience has been given to us, find our- 
selves advanced to that degree, that 
the Lord will condescend to visit us 
by his angels — ^visit us by heavenly 
communications — ^visit us by visipns 
— visit us more fully by the spirit 
of revelation that the M'ords of Isaiah 
may be fulfilled to the very letter. 
When speaking of the latter-day 
Zion, he says, " thy children shall all 
be taught of the Lord" — not being 
under the necessity of being taught 
by man, but all shall know the Lord 
from the least of tiiem unto the 
greatest of them. This is the pro- 
mise. All the children will be 
taught from on high, like the 
Nephite children in ancient days. 
We know how it was with them. 
The power of the Holy Ghost des- 
cended upon them, filling them, and 
encircling them round about, by a 
pillar of fire, and their tongues were 
loosed, even the tongues of babes 
and sucklings uttered forth great 
and marvelous things — far greater 
than that which Jesus had taught to 
them. The Lord operated upon 
them, to utter forth his knowledge, 
so that their fathers marvelled 
exceedingly. So great was the 
power and intelligence of Almighty 
God, manifested through these Httle 
babes, that no man was permitted 
to write the words they spoke, no 
man was permitted to utter them, 
no man was permitted to hand down 
these things to future generations ; 
they were things too great, too glori- 
ous, too holy, too far advanced for 
the children of this world. Hence 
they were hidden up from the 
world. 

May God assist us, and pour out 
his Holy Spirit upon us is my prayer 
in the name of Jesus. Amen. 



A INING THE AUTHORITIES, ETC. 



207 



DISCOURSE BY PRESIDE.^T JOHN TAYLOR, 
Delivered at Kaysville, on Sunday Afternoon, March 1st, 1880. 

(Reported by Qeo, F. Gihhs.) 

sustaining the authorities — POWER OF THE PRIESTHOOD — FAITH- 
FULNESS REQUIRED, ETC. 



We have been voting for our oflS.- 
cers and for tboee holding places in 
the Church and kingdom of God in 
this stake of Zion. And it is well 
for us sometimes to understand what 
we do in relation to these matters. 
We hold up our right hand when 
voting in token before Grod that we 
will sustain those for whom we vote ; 
and if we cannot feel to sustain 
them we ought not to hold up our 
hands, because to do this, would be 
to act the part of hypocrites. And 
the question naturally arises, how 
far shall we sustain them ] Or in 
other words, how far are we at 
at liberty to depart from this cove- 
nant, which we make before each 
other and before our God 1 For 
when we lift up our hands in this 
way, it is in token to God that we 
are sincere in what we do, and that 
we will sustain the parties we vote 
for. This is the way I look at these 
things. How far then should we 
sustain them, and how far should 
we not % This is a matter of serious 
importance to us ; if we agree to do 
a thing and do not do it, we become 
covenant breakers and violators of 
our obligations, which are, perhaps, 
as solemn and binding as anything, 
we can enter into. . 



We frequently pass by many of 
those important things which we 
have engaged to abide by, and some- 
times begin to whisi^er by way of 
complaining or finding fault one 
with another after we have entered 
into solemn obligations that we will 
not do it. What is meant by sus- 
taining a person 1 Do we under- 
stand it 1 It is a very simple thing 
to me ; I do not know how it is with 
you. For instance, if a man be a 
teacher, and I vote that I will sus- 
tain him in his position, when he 
visits me in an official capacity I 
will welcome him and treat him 
with consideration, kindness and 
respect and if I need counsel I will 
ask it at his hand, and I will do 
everything I can to sustain him. 
That would be proper and a princi- 
ple of righteousness, and I would 
not say anything derogatory to his 
character. If that is not correct I 
have it yet to learn. And then if 
anybody in my presence were to 
whisper something about him dis- 
paraging to his reputation, I would 
say. Look here ! are you a Saint 1 
Yes. Did you not hold up your hand 
to sustain lum % Ye.s. Then why do 
you not do it ? Now, I would call 
an action of that kind sustaining him. 



208 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



If any man make an attack upon his 
reputation — for all men's reputations 
are of importance to them — I would 
defend him in some such way. 
When we vote for men in the solemn 
way in which we do, shall we abide 
by our covenants ] or shall we viol- 
ate them ] If we violate them we 
become covenant-breakers. We 
break our faith before God and our 
brethren, in regard to the acts of 
men whom we have covenanted to 
sustain. But supposing he should 
do something wrong, supposing he 
should be found lying or cheating, 
or defrauding somebody ; or stealing 
or anything else, or even become 
impure in his habits, would you 
still sustain him ? It would be my 
duty then to talk with him as I 
would with anybody else, and tell 
him that I had understood that 
things were thus and so, and that 
under these circumstances I could 
not sustain him ; and if I found that 
I had been misinformed I would 
withdraw the charge ; but if not it 
would then be my duty to see that 
justice was administered to him, 
that he was brought before the pro- 
per tribunal to answer for the things 
he had done ; and in the absence of 
that I would have no business to 
talk about him. 

It is well for us to get at some of 
these little things ; they are matters, 
however, of a good deal of import- 
ance. What I have said with regard 
to a teacher, would apply to the 
priest and the deacon. 

Then, again, we havt bishops, 
We vote for them ; and they hold a 
portion of the priesthood which 
renders their duties many times 
very unpleasant ; that is naturally 
they would be unpleasant ; but no 
duty ought to be unpleasant to the 
servants of God. Now, supposing 
the bishop should do something that 
is wrong, what would be our dutyl 



It would be to go to him and say^ 
"Bishop, I have reason to believe 
that things are thus and sq, evidence 
having been presented to me, and it 
is of such a character that I am in- 
clined to think that you have been 
taking a wrong course, and there- 
fore I have come to talk to you, 
yourself, about the matter." Who 
ought to do thisi Anybody. 
What, would not his position 
deprive us of that right of approa<jh- 
ing him 1 No. Supposing you had 
been injured by him, or somebody 
else had been injured by him, or 
something had occurred that caused 
you to entertain feelings against him 
it would be much better to probe 
the thing to the bottom and have it 
straightened out than to foster it 
and allow it to corrode and inter- 
fere with your peace and happiness, 
because you have covenanted to sus- 
tain him ; on the other hand, we 
cannot sustain anything that is un- 
righteous, impure or unholy. We 
go to him and say. Bishop so and 
so, I have come to see you on un- 
pleasant business — ^you may be po- 
lite about it or you may not — ^but 
people can always afford to be po- 
lite ; I have learned thus and so ; I 
hope I am misinformed, can you ex- 
plain that to me? If the matter 
could be explained to your satisfac- 
tion you would be glad of it ; but 
whether it could be or not you 
would have the satisfaction of know- 
ing that you had performed your 
duty. If not, however, and the 
matter be of such a character as to 
call for an investigation, it would 
be proper that it be inquired into 
by the proper authorities. Then 
you are free, and you have not viol- 
ated any covenant. If any cove-, 
nants have beei;! violated, it is h^ 
that is guilty, and it is for him to 
account for his acts to the Lord and 
his brethren ; and if no wrong shfdl 



SUSTAINING THE AUTHORITIES, ETC. 



20» 



be found in him, there is no good 
man but M^hat would be pleased to 
see such a man acquitted. But 
while we seek equity and justice ©n 
the one hand, on the other we must 
not interfere with the rights of any- 
body ; no matter who it is that in- 
dulges in iniquity, their iniquity 
will find them out sooner or later. 
And it is better for us instead of 
talking to this one and the other, if 
wrong exists, to go direct to the 
persons themselves and have it ad- 
justed, then bring it up according to 
the rules laid down governing such 
matters. Then the doer of the 
wrong is accountable for the wrong, 
not somebody else. Then when he 
is dealt with by the Church, whe 
ther he be a teacher, priest, deacon, 
bishop or anybody else, you are free 
from all responsibility afterwards of 
sustaining that man. And until 
the proper course , has been taken 
with such a person, we should be 
very careful what course we pursue 
in relation to this kind of thing, so 
that we do not violate our cove- 
nants. 

There is an uneasy feeling existing 
among some people : they can see 
plenty of wrong all around if they 
have a mind to ; and some will apos- 
tatize because somebody else has 
done wrong. What a foolish course 
that is to pursue ! If we follow God's 
plan we can bring the sin right 
home to the man who has done the 
wrong; and if he did not repent of it, 
he would have to be cut off. But 
the devil would say, " I would not 
stop in a church where there were 
such folks." He would first influ- 
ence a number of the people to do 
wrong, and. then he would try to get 
the others to leave the Church be- 
cause some of the members were do- 
ing wrong. That however would be 
foohsh, imd contrary to the order of 
Ged. 

No. 14. 



The Lord has placed in his Church 
Apostles and Prophets, High Priests, 
Seventies, Elders, etc., what fori 
For the perfecting of the Saints. 
Are we ail perfect to begin with % 
No. These various officers are for 
perfecting of the Saints. What 
else 1 For the work of the ministry; 
that men might be qualified and in- 
formed and be full of intelligence, 
wisdom and light, and learn to pro- 
claim the principles of eternal truth 
and to bring out from the treasury 
of God things new and old, things 
calculated to promote the welfare of 
the people. Now, then, these offices 
having been placed in the Church, 
every man ought to be respected in 
his office. I know some of you think 
we can respect some, and some we 
cannot resrect ; we can respect some 
of the prominent authorities — I do 
not know who they are, do you 1 You 
remember when Jesus was upon the 
earth, some of his followers were con- 
tending, as to who was the greatest: 
and he took a Uttle child and placed 
it in their midst, he said, '* he that 
can be most like this little child, is 
the greatest in the kingdom of hea- 
ven. And I will tell you more 
than that, that the teacher, or dea- 
con that fulfills his duties is a greAt 
deal more honorable than a presi- 
dent or any of the twelve that does 
not And there are duties and re- 
sponsibilities devolving on all of us 
pertaining to these matters ; and we 
ought to be very careful in all our 
acts that we do not transgress the 
laws of God. 

In a few remarks yesterday ^ 
referred to the various officers df 
the Church, and to some of the leaA* 
ing duties that devolve upon them 
to attend to. There are duties 
dev.elving upon ^ of us which we 
cannot ignore. Duties as Apostles^ 
duties as presidents of stakes, dutite 
as bishdps, duties as high coun6iIoi1i^ 

Vol. XXI. 



210 JOURNAL OF DISCXiUBSKS. 

duties pertaining to all the various ; ledge of this t God revealed it to 
officers in the ChurclL Well, can , his servant Joseph Smith. And 
any man that has received the holy when he did so, he did not say much 
priesthood, and who comprehends ! about it himself. The first thing he 
the position he occupies before God : did when he appeared to Joseph was 
— ^which very few ot us .can do — can | to introduce his Son ; pointing unto 
he afford to neglect any of those ' him, he said : " This is my beloved 
duties ? I think not. We call this ' Son, hear him.'* And what did the 
organization that we are associated ■ Son say t We have his teachings in 
with, the church and kiugilom of ; the Gospel, in his communications 
God. Is it the Church of God! with the Nephites and others. Then 
Yes. Then it is God's church is it j there wer^ others who held the 
not] Yes. Who is at the head of priesthood with him; who held it on 
it ? The Lord ought to be, and we j the earth and who now hold it in eter- 
ought to be subject to him. Who? . nity, and who held the keys of this 
Why every one of us ; myself, say, j priesthood; and those several parties 
and all the Twelve, the presidents . came and conferred the keys which 
of stakes, the bishops, the high j they held upon him, but not until 
priests, the elders, the seventies, the ; the Lord had come and given them 
high councilors^ and all men in the I permission to do so. Hence we got 
Church ought to feel that we are ' our Aaronic priesthood through that 
the church of Giod, in the Church ■ means, and we got our Melchisedec 
of God and subject to the law of! priesthood through that means, and 
God. We talk about a priesthood ; * any office or ordinance that any 
who are the Priesthood, and what is | of you have received, you received it 
4t ! As I understand it^ it is the ; through that medium, or you have 
jule and the government of Crod, . received none at aU. Very well, 
iriiether it exists in the heavens or j what does it lead us to 9 To those 
on the earth ; whether we refer to j whom we call sons of God. Just 
the things of time or to the things ; as it was said on former occasions, 



of eternity; whether we refer to 
OHntual things or to temporal things, 
wj aie» or ought to be, under the 



Now are we sons of €rod, and it 
doth not yet appear what we shall 
be : but we know that, when he 



raidance and dominion of God. ; shall appear, we shall })e like him, 
How and from whom did we receive ' for we shaQ see him as he is." Yeiy 



OBT anthoiity I Let os (lo back for 
a. while, and who coold we find any- 
where upon the earth that had 



weD, we are the sons of Grod 
then, the chosen of God, the elect of 
God, called by him, set apart by 



authority even to proclaim the Gos- him, through Uie medium of this 
pel, or to administer in the ordinan- ! holy priesthood of which I have 
of the CrOfl|iel1 Coold we find spoken. And if we have received 

any office, or caSing, er authority, 
or any power to administer in any of 
the ordinances, we have receivtd 
that firom the hand of God, and we 



anybody I No, we eoold not. I 

jeoold not in my younger days — and 

X sought diligentlj fx it, but I could 

not find anybody who possessed it 

What, not amon^ the i^^ous pro- can only perform these ordinances 
Cbbsots m( the wuld. Nowhere 



acewding to the priesthood we 
among tli ^ kamed, the inteUigent, are permitted to possess. For 
ihescientifict No^nowheie. Yeiy ! instance, an dda cannot perform 
wfS, how did we cone at a know- [ the labor of an i^postie ; a bishop 



SUSTAINING THE AUTHORITIES, ETC. 



211 



cannot perform the labor of an apos- 
tle ; and a bishop, as a bishop, out- 
side of other things, has not author- 
ity^ to lay on hands to impart the 
gtft of the Holy Ghost ; whatever 
He may do in that capaeity it is 
through the Meychisedec priesthood 
which he holds, and he could not do 
it without. Can a priest lay hands 
upon people and say. " Eeceive ye 
the Holy Ghost f No, it does not 
belong to him to do it. Well, then, 
men are necessarily confined to 
operate within the limits and autho- 
rity ot the various oflSces of the 
priesthood to which they are called 
and ordained — an elder to perform 
the office of an elder, a priest to per- 
form the office of a priest. In early 
days it was quite common foF a priest 
to go out and preach the Gospel and 
baptize people for the remission of 
sins, and then call upon an elder to 
lay hands upon them to confirm them 
members of the Church, for the 
priest did not have the power to do 
it. And while the priest could bap- 
tize, a teacher or a deacon could not, 
not having the authority to do it ; 
if they were to do it, it would not 
amount to anything. There is strict 
order about these things associated 
with the Church and kingdom of 
God. Well, then, on the other 
band, if we perform our duties, each 
one of us in our proper position, 
God gives us power to accomplish 
the object we have in view, no mat- 
ter what it is, or what priesthood we 
hold ; no matter whether it is the 
president of the Church, or the pre- 
sident of the stake, a bishop, a high 
councilor, a high priest, a seventy, 
or an elder, priest, teacher er deacon; 
no matter what, if they perform 
duties with an eye single to the glory 
of God, he will sustain them in their 
operations and administrations. 

Now, I wiU refer to a principle 
which is perhaps one of the greatest 



manifestations of the power ^nd 
goodness of God that exists in thiis 
Church, and at the same time one 
that is as little noticed ; but one 
wherein God does manifest himself 
in a most remarkable manner in the 
view of all reflecting, intelligent men. 
For instance, the elders go forth to 
preach the Gospel ; they call upon 
people t3 repent and to be baptized 
in the name of Jesus for the remis- 
sion of their sins. Did you ever 
think what the name meant ? If a 
man go in the name of another per- 
son, he goes by the authority of that 
person. If an agent, say of Z. C. M. 
I„ or any other firm, go in the name 
of this. firm,, it is expected that he 
has credentials from the firm he 
represents. Or, if a governor comes 
here, he is first appointed by the 
proper authorities — nominated by 
the President and confirmed by the 
Senate of the United States, and he 
comes with proper credentials to act 
as governor of this Territory ; he 
comes in the name or by the autho- 
rity of the United States ; and the 
government of the United States 
feels itself bound to back up his acts, 
the same as a mercantile firm would 
feel obligated to acknowledge the 
acts of its agents. 

Now, then, the Lord has com- 
menced his Church here upon the 
earth. He has conferred upon men 
his holy Melchisedec priesthood ; he 
has told them to go forth and preach 
and call upon the people to repent 
and be baptized in the name of 
Jesus, for the remission of sins, and 
they should receive the Holy Ghost. 
You all know about these things, it 
is not necessary to talk much about 
them. 

Very well ; now, then, this elder 
goes forth in the name of God, does 
he net 1 That is the way I under- 
stand it — ^by the authority of the 
Lord, and in the name of the Lord 



212 



JOURNAX OF DISCOUBSBS. 



J^esus Christ, be preaches this doc- 
>tnne to the people. ***Now," says 
'he, " repent and be baptized, evary 
'one of yon, in the name of Jesus, for 
:ihe remission of your sins, said you 
'siiall receive the Holy Grhost" A 
priest could not say, xoa shall re- 
iceive the Holy Ghost ; a teacher or 
m deacon could not say it, neither 
could a bishop say it by virtue of 
his bishopric, but he could by virtue 
of the high priesthood he holds. 
Now, then, let any of Xhese men go 
to work and lay hands on anybody 
ibr the gift of the Holy Ghost, 
3,nd they might as well do anything 
else, it would not amount to any- 
thing. But an elder, or anyone 
holding the proper authority, comes 
^along, and takes the cand^te for 
baptism and, after baptizing him, he 
lays his hands upon his head and 
says : '^ In the name of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and by virtue of the 
holy priesthood conferred upon me, 
I lay my hands upon your head and 
<3onfirm you a member of the Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ; 
and I say unto you, receive ye the 
Holy Ghost" Did you ever think 
of that) It is quite a significant 
thing, is it not ) And you do it in 
the name of Jesus Christ and by 
authority whidi God has given you. 
You lay your hands upon the indi- 
vidual who has been baptized for the 
i»mission of sins, and say, ** Eeceive 
ye the Holy Ghost," and he receives 
it. If that is not so, tell me, will 
yevtj you that have had hands laid 
ti|»on your heads by the elders of 
tUs Church. You know what I say 
is true. Now, I propose to show a 
certain principle, namely, that God 
is true to the covenants which he 
makes with us, and that there is no 
Violation of the law or promises on 
hfa part. God will bless a teacher 
^ this Church when he goes forth j 
in t\» performance of bis duties | 



among the people ; he will bless a 
bishop in his administration, and 
others in the discharge of their sev- 
eral duties, no matter what their 
priesthood may be. But here is m 
important item : there are some of 
these things which I have referred to 
that some cannot do — they cannot 
not lay hands upon them to impart 
unto them the Holy Ghost. If an 
elder can, he does it by and through 
the authority of Jesus Christ, through 
the medium of the holy priesthood 
conferred upon him by those holding 
authority. And when ho performs 
this act, the recipients having com- 
plied with the requirements — faith, 
repentance and baptism — when he 
lays his hands upon their heads, God 
sanctions his action by impairting 
the Holy Ghost. Thus proving that 
God is true to his agreement ; and 
through that means we become the 
sons of God and belong to the house- 
hold of faith, and to us properly be- 
long the covenants and blessings as- 
sociated therewith. These are the 
initiatory stepsw And we have a 
witness within ourselves, each ofte 
of us, in regard to those great priii- 
ciples that God lias revealed to llie 
human family. Now, then, are tl^e 
the sons of God 1 Is he out Fathevf 
Yes. Have we received his Spirit, 
whereby we are enabled to cry, "Ab- 
ba Father," or " my Father r Yee. 
What have we done since we re- 
ceived iti We do not like to look 
at some of our acts when we thii^ 
of these things ; we would rather 
we could blot them out from oior 
memories, but we cannot ; they 
there. And when we reflect u 
our follies, our iinperfections 
our iniquities of various kinds, hmf 
do we feeH We do not feel pleaaant 
about it. God has conferred upon 
us the greatest treasure and tk» 
greatest boon he cocdd bestow upon 
the human family, but we ha3Pii 



SUSTAi:4aia THJ£ AUTHORITIES, ETC. 



213 



received tbe treasure in earthen 
vfiBBels. We often do things we 
<m^t not to dofy axtd leave undone 
things we oughjb.to do.; aod how 
often have we grieved the Spirit of 
Ofod within us ! He has done more 
for us than this. He has placed us 
here in his Church and kingdom ; 
he has gathered us together ; he has 
oiganized us according to the laws 
and order of the holy priesthood. 
He has united us to our wives, and 
our wives to their husbands, with an 
everlasting covenant that cannot be 
be broken. But we break it some- 
times, don't we 1 He has shown us 
how and in what way our wives may 
be united with us in the eternities 
to come, and how wo may have oiir 
children sealed to us and be one 
with us in time and in eternity, and 
has poured blessings upon many of 
our heads that will exist while time 
shall last and eternity endure. It 
was said of Jesus, that to his govern- 
ment and dominion there should be 
no end. And the same has been 
said of a great many more ; and yet 
we will allow little things to sepa- 
rate us from our God, and from our 
brethren, and from our wives and 
then our wives from their husbands, 
and break up, and rant and rear and 
destroy, until we hardly know 
whether it is us or somebody else. 
Sometimes we hardly know whether 
we are in the Church and kingdom 
of God or not, until in many instan- 
ces the light within us becomes 
darkness, and then, oh, how great is 
that darkness ! It is necessary that 
we should study well and watch well 
the path of our feet. We are here 
laying the foundation for eternity, 
and for no other purpose. We are 
here that we may receive bodies, 
that in our bodies and spirits, and 
through them and through the 
powers of the priesthood and the 
everlasting Gospel, we may gain a 



position by and bye, among the GodSa 
in the eternal worlds, and- with them^ 
possess a glory and dominion saait 
aulihoiftty, power attd exaltation tbaii 
haa hacdiy entered into our hearts 
to conceive of. And yet, we will 
fritter away our privileges, treats 
lightly the ^ings of God, disregard/ 
the counsels of God and the priesl^-' 
hood of God, and wander in by and/ 
forbidden paths, and lose sight of. 
these great and gl<^ous principles^ 
that God has revealed for the salvar 
tion of the human family. 

Referring to the principle of union, 
we ought to be one. W^ have things 
come up quite frequently, say, in a, 
legislative capacity and otherwise, 
and our legislators and others enter 
into certain measures, but the peo* 
pie will not be sufficiently united to. 
carry them out And there seems 
to be a spirit, more or less among 
the people like this : some wifl. 
brusquely and thoughtlessly say, 
*'I will be damned if I don't have 
my own way." All right I will, 
tell you another thing : you will be. 
damned if you do, unless your way 
is the way that God will sanction. 

Let me speak of some other things 
associated with this. If we had per^ 
feet union, what is there we could 
not accomplish 1 And yet God has 
done a great deal for us. We have-, 
for instance, one man in Congress to. 
represent our interests ; only one. 
man, and he has not a vote at that. 
And in a great many instances the* 
combined powers of the United 
States have been plotting against us, 
and it is to-day seeking our over- 
throw. And whyl Because W6' 
dare believe in God, and because wa 
dare keep his commandments, mis* 
erably as we do it, and the little wss 
do of it We do not do much, but 
the little we do, produces this kind 
of feeling ; because this world im 
opposed to God and to his laws and 



2U 



JOURNAL OF BISCOURSXS. 



to his church and kingdom. And 
what hare they done hitherto 1 
You could not get a man anywhere 
in the United States that knows 
anything of the workings of govern- 
ment or affairs brought in operation 
against us, but what believed that 
we would have been destroyed and 
swept off the earth long ago. But 
we are still here. Why 1 Not be- 
cause you and I had fulfilled all our 
covenants and observed the laws of 
God ; but it is because God knows 
and remembers that we are but 
flesh, but weak, fallen hun\anity ; 
he remembers we are but dust ; it is 
because he feels kindly and gra- 
ciously toward us, and has said that 
it is his business to take care of his 
Saints^ and to fight our battles for 
us. It is not because of what we 
have done, for we have not done 
much. And if God had not sus- 
tained us and turned away and re- 
strained the wrath of man, we 
would not have been here to-day. 
Now, this is a fact. Well, Grod is 
kind to us ; do not let us treat him 
so thoughtlessly ; do not let us treat 
his ordinances lightly; but rather 
let us reverence and esteem those 
men upon whom God has placed his 
holy priesthood, and let us try by 
our faith and prayers and by our 
acts, to sustain them in all particu- 
lars as we agreed to do when we 
held up our hands. And then I 
ask no odds of the combined powers 
of the whole world, for God is on 
our side, and as long as we maintain 
our position before him, I will risk 
the balance. He holds the nations 
in his hands, and he will say to 
them, as he did to the waves of the 
mighty ocean—" Hitherto shalt thou 
go and no farther, and here shall 
ibj proud waves be stayed." And 
they cannot help themselves. We 
are in the hands of God, and they 
are. And I am afraid sometimes. 



when I see the follies of my breth- 
ren ; I tremble for the result ; but 
Grod is gracious and kind. Do not 
let us be ungrateful, but let us try 
to rememllr the blessing ml 
which we are surrounded, the bene- 
fits he confers upon us — ^the light 
of the holy Gospel, our present and 
eternal associations ; and remember 
that we are placed here as represen- 
tatives ot God upon the earth, to 
operate with prophets and apostles 
and men of God who lived and died 
and are now behind the vail, to 
operate with them in the accomplish- 
ment of the purposes of God, per- 
taining to the earth whereon we 
stand. We are living in an eventful 
time, in the dispensation of the full- 
ness of times, the period in which 
God has said he would gather to- 
gether all things in one, whether 
tliey be things in heaven or things 
on the earth ; and therefore, he has 
organized us as we are. 

When Jesus was here he felt the 
importance of the things I am now 
speaking of ; and when he was about 
to leave his disciples he knew what 
the powers of darkness were, for he 
battled with them ; and, indeed he 
was able to do so, having been 
anointed with the oil of gladness 
above his fellows. But notwith- 
standing this and the fact of his be- 
ing the Only Begotten of the Father, 
yet, when he came to wrestle with 
the difficulties he had to cope with, 
he sweat great drops of blood, and 
said " Father, if it be possible, let 
this cup pass from me ; I shrink to 
encounter the things I have to cope 
with, but nevertheless, not my will 
but thine be done." Now, we have 
to pass through a variety of things ; 
many of us are tried and tempted, 
and we get harsh and hard feelings 
against one another. And it re- 
minds me of your teams when going 
down hill with a heavy load. 



SFSTAmiNG THE AUTHORITIES', ETC. 



215 



When the load begins to crowd on 
to the horses, you will frequently 
see one snap at his mate, and the 
other will prick up his ears and snap 
back again. And why ? A little 
while before, perhaps, and they were 
pla}'ing with each other. Because 
the load crowds on them. Well, 
when the load begins to crowd, do 
not snap at your brethren, but let 
them feel that you are their friends, 
and pull together. Says Jesus, with 
reference to his disciples, ** Father, 
I pray that these may be one, I in 
them and thou in me ; that that 
spirit, O God that dwells in thee 
and that thou hast imparted unto 
me, might also dwell in them, and 
that their hearts may be united to- 
gether by the bonds of eternal life 
and fellowship and priesthood ; that 
they may feel after one another's 
welfare and seek to promote one 
another's happiness, we having drunk 
of that river, the streams whereof 
shall make glad the city of our 
God ;" that it may arise and flow 
and bubble in our hearts, and that 
its vivifying streams may be felt 
wherever we go, and that the influ- 
ence and light and power and spirit 
and intelligence of God may be with us, 
that we may be one, according to 
the prayer of our Lord, "as I 
Father, am in thee, and thou in me, 
that the world may know that thou 
hast sent me," These principles are 
as eternal as the heavens. Do they 
exist in heaven 1 Yes. You read 
the first chapter of Genesis pertain- 
ing to these matters ; and how is it] 

"In the beginning God created 
the heavens and the earth. And 
the earth was without form and 
void ; and darkness was upon the 
face of the deep. And the Spirit of 
God moved upon the face of the 
waters. 

And God said, Let there be light : 
and there was light." 



He had nobody around him to 
rise up and say, had you not better 
put it off for a little while, ©r other- 
wise change things, or to intimate 
that they were not prepared for 
what was done. No, they knew 
better. I suppose it would be more 
correct to rentier it, " And the Gods 
said. Let there be light, etc" But 
to us you know there is only one 
God ; and ho said, let there be light, 
and there was light. And God saw 
the light that it was good. It was 
made according to eternal principles, 
according to the strictest principles 
of intelligence and philosophy ; and 
when it was made, it was declared 
good. 

In the councils of the Gods in the 
eternal worlds there was no confu- 
sion — I rather think there were no 
politicians there, no one to get up 
any feelings of animosity. Things 
were agreed upon, and when this 
was done they were carried out. 
When agreed upon God would say, 
let so and so be done, and it was 
done. Now, we see that there was 
perfect unanimity ; but there was 
not always unanimity in heaven even. 
What, not in heaven 1 No, not 
until one thijd part was cast out ; 
and I do not think that it was for 
doing any good. Sometimes I think 
we will have to cast out quite a 
number too, in order to get things 
in the right shape. Satan was cast 
out, and those that adhered to him 
who rebelled against God in the 
eternal worlds. Well, everything 
has not been altogether pure in hea- 
ve* ; but they straightened them 
out as well as they could, as we do 
here sometimes, and as we do not do 
here very often. 

And when we talk about the hea- 
vens, there will be a new heaven ag 
well as a new earth. You know, we 
read that there will be a new heaven 
atnd a new earth, wherein righteous- 



216 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



ness will dwell. 

Well, we are here struggling and 
trying to introduce correct princi- 
ples, and to advance not only the 
interests of the Church of God, but 
the kingdom of God, for God will 
have a kingdom. I hope you will 
not tell it to anybody if I tell you 
something — God will have a king- 
dom, and he will have rule and 
dominion, for this earth belongs to 
him and he will possess it, and his 
Saints will inherit it at last. We 
did not use to be afraid of talking 
about these things. In former times 
they told us that the Saints of the 
Most High should finally take the 
kingdom and the greatness of the 
kingdom, which should be given to 
the Saints of the Most High God. 
Do you believe it ] I happen to be 
one who believes it. And I pro- 
phesy that it will be fulfilled. But 
we are a sorry lot of people to do a 
thing of that kind, are we not? 
We have not made much progress 
yet in the race ; we are only pre- 
paring for it, many of us cannot do 
what Brother Joseph F. Smith was 
talking about yesterday, that is 
making a sacrifice and feel that we 
are for God and his kingdom. But 
we can hardly get out of it. I tell 
you how some of us feel — "God 
bless me and my wife, my son John 
and his wife us four and no more. 
Amen." That feeling is a long way 
from the other. God feels interested 
in the welfare of the whole human 
femily. What, of the Saints 1 Yes, 
and the others too. But the others 
do not have the priesthood. The 
others, if they ever obtain a celestial 
glory, will have to obtain it through 
the Latter-day Saints. What man- 
ner of people ought we to be ? A 
little dSferent from what we are. 
We think it troublesome sometimes 
to pay our tithing; we think it 
troublesome sometimes to pray in 



our families ; we think it trouble- 
some sometimes to feed the poor and 
take care of the destitute. Well, 
suppose we were to change places a 
little while with them, how would 
you feel then ] You would feel that 
it was much better to give than to 
receive. We want our feelings and 
sympathies drawn out. And God 
has placed us where we are, in order 
that we may be preserved to receive 
Instructions from his hands. We 
have in our school operations what 
we call our normal schools, to pre- 
p.are teachers to teach others. Now, 
the Lord has a normal school in 
Utah. He is preparing us in a 
variety of ways — sometimes we have 
not enough snow in the winter sea- 
son, and consequently a scarcity of 
water in the summer ; sometimes too 
much rain, and at other times not 
enough ; we have some wise and some 
unwise, and we have some rich and 
some poor. Yes, we have some who 
are poor among us, and why 1 We 
would not know what it was to see 
persons in those circumstances if we 
did not have some among us, and 
then, the opportunity is afforded us 
to show our kindness, and to develop 
witliin us that fellow-feeling we 
sometimes talk about. But we do 
not want to call them poor, for some 
of them are just as good as we are, 
and some perhaps a little better 
than many of us. If good people 
are suffering for the common neces- 
saries of life, the scriptures say, '* If 
a man having this world's goods see 
his brother in need, and shutteth up 
his bowels of compassion, how dwell- 
eth the love of God in him V And 
in regard to those matters, we ought 
to look to the wants of everybody ; 
that, however, more particularly 
devolves upon the bishops and the 
brethren of the Aaronic priesthood. 
Do not let us make paupers of them ; 
but let us treat them as brethren 



SUSTAINING THE AUTHORITIES, ETC. 



217 



and sisters, as good, honorable men 
and women ; let us see that they are 
provided for. I hare seen some 
people who wouM get down upon 
their knees and pray most heartily 
for God to feed the poor and clothe 
the naked. Now, I would never ask 
the Lord to do a thing that I would 
not do. If we have them among us, 
suppose we go at it and relieve 
them. I do not think we have 
much of that to do here ; but, 
enough, perhaps, to draw forth your 
good feelings and sympathies. And 
if people sustain misfortune of any 
kind, look after them and bestow 
upon them those things necessary 
for their welfare and happiness. 
And Uod will bless us in so doing. 
I would a great deal rather that you 
would take, say a sack of flour, 
some beef, a hundred of sugar, some 
butter and cheese, and clothing atid 
fuel, and such comforts and conve- 
niences of life, and thus try to make 
people feel happy than all the 
prayers you could offer up to the 
Lord about it ; and he would rather 
see it too ; that is the proper way 
to do things. In receiving blessings 
ourselves, try to distribute them, 
and God will bless and guide us in 
the ways of peace. 

Perhaps I am occupying too much 
time. I do not care much about 
making a big discourse; I am talking 
in a plain, easy way, and I think 
you understand it. And if there is 
a widow, or an orphan, or any desti- 
tute persons, or any one who has to 
struggle hard, look after them, and 
•do not try to make paupers of them ; 
but what you do for them, do it in a 
kind, good feeling, making them to [ 
feel and realize that you are their 
fiiends. And then, let us try to do 
away with all our little difficulties — 
husbands with their wives. Why 
will you complain about your wives] 
Because they will get cross. Are 



you not cross ? " Yes ; but my wife 
is not as kind as she used to be.'* 
Well, try to get along with her, and 
treat her kindly ; and be kind to one. 
another. If you live in this way 
while here in the flesh, you will be 
glad to meet one another in the eter- 
nal worlds. Cultivate every good 
principle, and live in his fear day by 
day, and he will take care of us, and 
he will bless and multiply our flocks 
and herds, our lands aud everything 
we have. 

I will tell you a secret. If we 
could only prepare ourselves to do 
the will of God and keep his com- 
mandments and live our religion so 
that God could trust us with more 
means than we have, he would so 
order things, and that too by natu- 
ral ways, that our desires in that 
direction would be fully gratified. 
But we are not prepared for it ; it 
would only destroy us, and lead us 
to the devil ; and the Lord knows it. 
At the same time we cannot com- 
plain in this regard ; the Lord has 
treated us very well. I do not know 
of a people anywhere that are better 
off as a whole than we are. It is 
true we do not have the amount of 
wealth among us that may be found 
in older countries ; but then we do 
not have the poverty, the suffering 
and distress that may be found else- 
where. It is for us to introduce 
principles that will obviate all these 
difficulties, and that will prepare us 
to receive blessings from God, and 
to administer the same wisely. 

Another thing. We are building 
temples. Are we doing pretty welH 
Yes. Do you find fault 1 No. I 
have nothing to say about it ; I 
think the people are doing very well 
especially in some districts in the 
north and south, indeed, I think 
more than they are able to do. But 
the^ could not do what they have 
already done and what they are 



218 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



doing without the assistance and I 
blessing of the Almighty. They are 
building two beautiful edifices. 
What ior 1 Is it a matter of specu- 
lation 1 Yes, one of the greatest 
speculations ever conceived of. It is 
for the salvation of the human 
family ; it is for the redemption of 
the living and salvation of the dead. 
It is for the accomplishment of the 
purposes of God pertaining to the 
inhabitants of the earth, our fore- 
fathers, and then, all we can attain 
to after that. In those things we 
are doing very, very well ; and I 
feel to bless the people because of 
their liberality in relation to those 
matters, especially those of the dis- 
tricts I have referred to. 

Well, now, I do not know that I 
should detain you much longer. 
What shall we do % Keep our cove- 
nants, sustain Brother Smith ; and 
let Brother Smith act in a way that 
will be worthy of being sustained. 
And then sustain your bishops, and 
let them also so act as to be worthy 
of your esteem. And sustain their 
counselors, and hearken to their 
counsels and advice. They are seek- 
ing to do you good ; and to build up 
your interests. And then sustain 
your teachers, and your deacons and 
your priests, and do all you can to 
lift them up that they may be 
enabled to do a good work in their 
day and generation, and benefit you 
and your generations after you. 
And then there are others. You 
have your Relief Societies, and I am 
glad always to speak a word in be- 
half of them. Our sisters are one 
with us ; and we are operating to- 
gether in trying to build up the 
kingdom of God. I would say to 
the sisters I would watch iifter the 
youth and after the interests of the 
sisters, and try to introduce every- 
thing good and praiseworthy, and 
try to do all you can to promote the 



welfare of your sons and daughters ; 
and God will bless you as he has 
done, and more abundantly. 1 was 
pleased to hear a compliment that 
was made to our Young people's 
Mutual Improvement Associations. 
It is gratifying to parents and to all 
who have the interests of Zion at 
heart, to hear of, and to see our 
young men and women grow up in 
the fear of God. Some, as is the 
case everywhere, are inclined to be 
a little rude and thoughtless. It is 
our privilege, and the privilege of 
the youth, to improve, and to culti- 
vate our morals and manners so that 
if it should ever be our pleasure to 
mingle with the angels, we should 
find the most happy and enjoyable 
society. Let us learn to treat one 
another with kindness and courtesy, 
and let the young cultivate the fear 
of God. I tell you what I used to 
do when quite a young boy. I 
made it a practice to go and call 
upon the Lord ; it was before there 
was any "Mormonism." And many 
scores times have I gone into fields* 
behind the bushes, and also into hay 
lofts to call upon God to guide me^ 
and keep me from evil and to lead 
me in the paths of righteousness. 
Did I feel happy ? Yes, for I had 
a portion of the Spirit of God with 
me. How much better in this re- 
spect it is for our youth. I had 
parents who feared God, but they, 
any more than any one else, did not 
know anything at all about the true 
plan of salvation, for it had not been 
revealed. I used to go to the 
Church of England ; and many of 
you present used to go too ; and we 
used to say that we were all " misera- 
ble sinners." We also confessed 
every Sunday that we had "done- 
the things we ought not to have 
done, and left undone the things 
which we ought to have done." 
This was all very true. The teach- 



SUSTAINING THE AUTHORITIES, ETC. 



211> 



ers themselves did not know any 
better, neither did we. But I used 
to take pleasure in calling upon 
the Lord to lead me in the right 
way. I did not have the helps that 
you have. You have the benefit of 
your Mutual Improvement Societies. 
Attend them, and seek to cultivate 
intelligence ef every kind ; and 
above all, reverence and lespect 
your parents, they who have watched 
over you and takea cai*e of you, they 
who have educated you and fed and 
clothed you and felt an interest in 
your welfare. 

And in regard to all of our opera- 



tions, brethren and sisters, let us 
ever try to do right, and let us try 
to invent something whereby we 
can be self-sustaining; let us pur- 
chase from our own people, and 
above all let us try to make our own 
goods and supply our own wants 
and necessities. Let us try and 
carry these principles out, for they 
are true and correct. And if there 
is anything good and praise-worthy, 
let us seek after it ; and shun every- 
thing that tends to misery, degrada- 
tion and death. 

God bless you, and lead you in the 
paths of life. Amen. 



220 



.JOUKNJ(L OF DISGOUK&KS. 



DISCOUKSE BY ELDER C. W. PENROSE, 

Deliyeb^d In The Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Aftebnoon, 

August 8th, I88a 



(Reported by John Irvine,) 



THE inspiration OF THE LORD S SERVANTS — REVELATION — ^THE RESUR- 
RECTION, ETC. 



Having been called npon this 
afternoon to address this congrega- 
tion, I rise before you trusting that 
the Holy Spirit, which makes plain 
to the human mind the things of 
God, may rest upon me and upon 
you ; that I may be inspired by that 
Spirit to say something which will 
be of profit to those who hear, and 
that those who listen to what I may 
say may be able to understand in 
the same light and under the same 
influence as that by which the words 
are apoken. 

The elders of this Church, in min- 
istering as public speakers, stand 
before the people in the name of the 
Lord. They do not address congre- 
gations for the purpose of ventilating 
the opinions and ideas which they 
may entertain, but they occupy the 
position of ministers of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, to speak that which is 
given to them by the influence of 
the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, the 
servants of Qod are instructed to 
"treasure up in their hearts continu- 
ally the words of life," with the pro- 
mise that if they do this and are 
diligent in seeking for the mind and 
will of God, in the very hour that 



they are needed words shall be placed 
in their mouths, or ideas be brought 
up in their minds, which shall be for 
the benefit of all who hear. It is in 
this Spirit that I endeavor to address 
the congregation this afternoon, and 
I hope I shall have not only your 
attention, but the benefit of your 
faith and prayers, that the Spirit of 
God may rest upon me and the con- 
gregation also. 

We are living upon the earth at a 
time when there are a great many 
creeds— a great many different doc- 
trines, each professing to be the true 
faith — the Christian religion. There 
is a spirit of doubt and division in 
the world. Men are ever learning 
but not able to come to a knowledge 
of the truth. They indulge in a 
great many speculations. ' Some 
good people study the Scriptures and 
endeavor to find out what is divine 
truth, but their ideas are various ; 
they do not come to the unity of the 
faith ; and the great reason why this 
is so is because they do not seek to 
the fountain of light and truth with 
the expectation of receiving any re- 
ply. In olden times God used to 
speak to the people. He had ser- 



THE INSPIRATION, BTa 



221 



vants upon the earth who spoke as 
they were moved upon by the Holy 
Ghost ; angels ministered to the sons 
of men, and truth was revealed in 
great plainness from the Father. But 
in these times ^ople have to put up 
with the ideas and notions that men 
hold in relation to these truths which 
were anciently revealed. There is 
now no voice from heaven, no pro 
pbet among the people ; there are 
no inspired apostles ; angels have 
ceased to minister, and to use the 
words of one of the great divines of 
the day, " The awful voice of pro- 
phecy is silenced forever." 

Of course in making use of these 
remarks I am speaking in relation to 
what is called the Christian world. 
The Latter-day Saints believe that 
God is the same yesterday, to-day 
and forever, and that if he is sought 
after to-day in the same way that he 
was sought after yesterday, he will 
answer in the same manner. We 
believe that it is just as possible for 
angels to come to earth in these 
times as in any former age of the 
world ; we believe that the power of 
the Holy Ghost is the same to-day 
as it wafi thousands of years ago ; 
t^at divine truth can be made man- 
ifest direot from God to the people 
now as it was in the days of Jesus, 
or in the days of the prophets who 
preceded him on the earth. 

The religion we Latter-day Saints 
have received — ^which we hold to, 
which we live for, and which a great 
many of us are willing to die for, if 
necessary — has come to us by reve- 
lation from God in the day and age 
in which we live. In taking up the 
writings of the old prophets, in read- 
ing the letters written by the ancient 
apostles, we find that the religion 
whidi God has revealed to us, is ihe 
same religion which God revealed to 
them. What is contained in the 
Bible GOiPobontes that whi<^ we 



have received, and the spirit which 
accompanies the preaching of the 
word to us, is similar in its effects to 
that spirit which accompanied the 
preaching of the ancient prophets 
and apostles of the Lord. We find 
tills out by reading that portion of 
their records which has been left. 
So that the religion of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is 
not a mere theory of men. The doc- 
trines • which we have received have 
come to us direct from the Lord in 
our own time. We are not left to 
speculation, we are not left to our 
own t^ieohes, but we have defined 
principles given to us of God for our 
guidance, for our comfort and for our 
edification. 

Now, there is a disposition exist- 
ing in the world to-day to go away 
from the Lord. Men seem to have 
a desire to follow out their own im- 
aginations, their own ideas and no- 
tions, and in consequence of this a 
great many wrong principles have 
been received for truth in the Chris- 
tian world, and this disposition seems 
to increase. The Apostle Paul, in 
writing to the Saints in his day, ad- 
vised them to "beware lest any man 
spoil 3^u through philosophy and 
vain deceit, after the tradition of 
man, after the rudiments of the 
world and not after Christ." Now, 
that same advice is good for the 
people in our times ; good for the 
Latter-day Saints ; good for the peo- 
ple who compose the various sects of 
modern Christendom. If we have 
received the doctrines of Christ, if 
our feet are planted firmly upon the 
rock which he has laid, there is no 
fear of our going astray ; but if we 
depart from that and walk in 
the ways of men, and are led by 
their theories and their speculati0ns 
and their vain philosophy, we are 
very likely to go astray. 

I notice in reading some of the 



222 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



works of modern divines, and noting 
the progress of religious thought 
among the people, that there is a 
doctrine which is becoming very 
widespread among the people called 
** Christians," that is, a heresy in re- 
gard to the doctrme of our condition 
in the future. It is believed by a 
great many people at the present 
time, that there is no such thing as 
a literal resurrection of the body ; 
that when this body is laid away in 
the ground and goes back to the ele- 
ments out of which it was organized, 
that is the end of the body, and that 
it will never come up again. They 
do not see any need of a literal resur- 
rection of the body; they cannot 
perceive by what process it can be 
resuscitated ; and not being able to 
comprehend how this great change 
can come, how the scattered ele- 
ments of the . body can be brought 
together again, they reject the doc- 
trine altogether. This is the belief 
of the people who are called spirit- 
ualists or spiritists. This is one of 
the doctrines of that great delusion 
of the latter times, that "strong 
delusion" that the Lord has permit 
ted to come into the world because 
men would not receive the truth, 
but turned away from it and loved a 
lie. It is taught by that rapping 
and muttering influence, that when 
the spirit leaves the body and passes 
into another state, that is the resur- 
rection ; that the body will be raised 
up no more ; that the spirit, libera- 
ted from the body, will progress 
from sphere to sphere — ^how many 
spheres they do not know — ^bnt th^t 
there is no. further need of the body. 
This idea is increasing in its hold 
upon the minds of the people, among 
the vaiious "Christian'^ sects, and 
some of the greatest preachers and 
'divines of tl^ day entertain this 
idea, philosopliize wpon it and teach 
it to their congzcgations. Now we 



have the satisfaction of definite 
knowledge in regard to this matter, 
as well as all the articles of our 
creed — ^if we have such a thing as a 
formulated creed. The ideas we 
have in relation to' this doctrine 
have come from (jod. There is no 
need of any doubt about it, no need 
for any speculation. The Lord has 
revealed something concerning this. 
It is true he has not revealed the 
philosophy of it in full, he has only 
given us some ideas concerning it 
But he has made the fact very plain 
that there may be no misunderstand- 
ing about it. In the Book of Doc- 
trine and Covenants— which con- 
tains many of the revelations that 
God has given to the Church through 
the Prophet Joseph Smith, we find 
this doctrine laid down in great 
plainness. It is stated that the 
spirit and the body make up the 
soul of man, and that the resurrec- 
tion from the dead is the redemption 
of the soul. We are taught also 
that there are material elements and 
spiritual elements ; that the spiritual 
part of our being was in the begin- 
ning with God, and that the spiri- 
tual and material when inseparably 
connected receive a fulness of joy, 
otherwise m^en cannot receive a ful- 
ness of joy. It takes the spiritual 
part of man and the material or 
physical part joined together insep- 
arably to obtain a fulness of joy. 
When the spirit is separated from 
the body, a fulness of joy cannot be 
obtained. When the spirit is joined 
to the body temporarily under a 
temporal law, under the law of 
death, it cannot receive a fulness of 
joy. The spirit and the body must 
be so joined together that both will 
be immortal, and in that condition 
man can receive a fulness of joy. 

The Book of Mormon is also very 
plain iipon this subject I will read 
one or two texts from that book, and 



THE INSPIRATION, ETC. 



223 



if I have time I may refer to the 
Bible, to show that the things con- 
tained in the Book of Mormon and 
the Book of Doctnne and Cove- 
nants are the same as contained in 
the old scriptures. I will read a 
passage from the seventy-ninth page 
{new edition) of the Book of Mor- 
mon, namely : 

"And this death of which I have 
spoken, which is the spiritual death, 
shall deliver up its dead ; which spiri- 
tual death is hell ; wherefore death 
and hell must deliver up its captive 
spirits and the grave must deliver 
up its captive bodies, and the bodies 
and tlie spirits of men will be restored 
one to the other ; and it is by the 
power of the resurrection of the 
Holy One of Israel. 

" Oh how great the plan of our 
God ! For on the other hand, the 
paradise of God must deliver up the 
spirits of the righteous, and the 
grave deliver up the body of the 
righteous ; and the spirit and body 
is restored to itself again, and all 
men become incorruptible, and im- 
mortal, and they are living souls, 
having a perfect knowledge like 
unto us in the flesh ; save it be that 
our knowledge shall be perfect. 

" "NVherefore, we shall have a per- 
fect knowledge of all our guilt, and 
our uncleanlinress, and our naked- 
ness, and the righteous shall have a 
perfect knowledge of their enjoy- 
ment and their righteousness, being 
clothed with purity, yea, even with 
the robe of righteousness." 

Now, according to the Book of 
Mormon, the spirits of men, the 
righteous and the wicked, are to be 
brought up from the place to which 
they shall go when they depart from 
this life. There is no need for any 
dubiety about this, there is no need 
for any mistake ; it is clear that the 
separation of the spirit from the 



body is not the resurrection spoken 
of in this book. 

The Prophet Alma, touching on 
this subject, explained to the people 
in his day what an angel of God 
made known to him. These words, 
which I am about to read to you 
from the Book of Alma, in the Book 
of Mormon, are not Alma's ideas 
and speculations. He says they 
were revealed to him by an angel. 
I would advise you to read the 40th 
chapter, 352 page, new edition. 
Alma states here that he was very 
much troubled concerning the doc- 
trine of the condition of people after 
they passed away from this life. 
He wanted to know something of 
the condiubn of man between death 
and the resurrection, and he says an 
angel of God made known to him 
that there is a space between death 
and the resurrection, that the spirits 
of the wicked are in a state of un- 
rest, having a knowledge of all their 
wickedness, and a remembrance of 
all their transgressions ; that they 
are in a state of fear, looking for the 
wrath and indignaaion of God, not 
knowing what their punishment 
will be ; while on the other hand, 
the spirits of the righteous enter 
into a state of rest. They have a 
perfect knowledge of all that Otod 
has done for. them, and all their 
acts of righteousness, and they await 
in peace for the time when their 
bodies shall be brought forth from 
the dust to stand in the presence of 
their God to receive their crown. 
Alma then goes on to say : 

** But this much 1 say, that there 
is a space between death and the 
resurrection of the body, and a state 
of the soul in happiness or in 
misery, until the time which is ap- 
pointed of God that the dead shall 
come forth, and be re-united, both 
soul and body, and be brought to 
stand before God, and be judged 



224 



JOURNAL 07 DISCOURSES. 



according to their works. * * 
" The soul shall be restored to the 
body and -the body to the soul ; yea, 
and every limb and joint shall be 
restored to its body ; yea, even a 
hair of the head shall not be lost ; 
but all things shall be restored to 
their proper and perfect frame." 

Now, that is clear and distinct on 
this point. In regard to the times 
and seasons of this resurrection, 
about which Alma speaks, he said 
he did not know, but those things 
he did know were made known to 
him by an angel, namely, that there 
is a space between death and the 
resuiTection ; that at the resurrec- 
tion the body and the spirit shall be 
brought up and restored to each 
other, and not only the body and 
spirit, but every part and particle 
belonging to the body ; not a hair of 
the head shall be lost ; every joint 
and muscle and fibre and sinew, 
and every part and particle neces- 
sary to make up a perfect physical 
body for the spirit to dwell in, shall 
be restored to that spirit in the re- 
surrection. That is the doctrine 
laid down by the Prophet Alma, as 
taught to him by an angel. 

The very meaning of the word 
"resurrection" ought to dispel the 
idea that the separation of the spirit 
from the body at death is resurrec- 
tion. The word it§elf means, "I 
stand np again." The idea which 
all the prophets and apostles of old 
had was that at some future time 
the voice of God should be uttered, 
and the dead should stand up agdn, 
their bodies should come from the 
grave; just exactly the doctrine laid 
down in the Book of Mormon and 
Book of Doctrine and Covenants. 
Some have an idea that the people 
who lived upon the earth before 
Jesus, had no correct ideas in regard 
to the future. I have seen such 
statements published by popular 



divines of the day ; but when we 
come to take up the Old Testament 
Scriptures, we find that the writers, 
holy men of God, who wrote as 
they were moved upon by the Holy 
Ghost, had a distinct and unwaver- 
ing faith in resard to this same doc- 
trine, that of the resurrection of the 
body. 

The book of Job is said to be the 
most ancient book of the Bible. I 
will read a verse or two from the 7th 
chapter. In the 9th verse we read: 
"As the cloud is consumed and 
vanisheth away : so he that goeth 
down to the grave shall come up no 
more." Now, that is a very plain 
statement ^f Job's, that when a man 
goes down to the grave he shall not 
return. Those who believe in the 
vain philosophy that I have re- 
ferred to, take a great deal of com- 
fort in quoting that passage, and 
also some sayings of Solomon, the 
wise man ; that is, he was a wise 
man once, but he became a foolish 
man before he died, not because he 
married more wives than one, but 
because he transgressed by marry- 
ing strange wives. Solomon, in 
some of his writings, speaks in the 
same way as Job. But I will read a 
verse from the 14th chapter of Job : 

" As the waters fall from the sea, 
and the flood decayeth and dryeth 
up ; so man lieth down and riseth 
not." 

This also is a very plain statement^ 
is it not? But Job did not stop 
here as he did in the 7th chapter, 
for he continues, 

"Till the heavens be no more, 
they shall not awake, nor be raised 
out of their sleep. that thou 
wouldst hide me in the grave, that 
thou wouldest keep me secret until 
the wrath be passed, that thou 
wouldest appoint a set time, and re- 
member ! If a man die shall he live 
again? all the days of my appointed 



THB IN8FIRATI0K, ETC. 



time will I w»it till tny change come. I 
Thou shalt call and I will answer 
thee : thou wilt have a desire to the 
work of thine hands.*^ Chapter xiv, 
12-16. 

Eead again in the 19th chapter, 
where he is a little more explicit, 
commencing at the 23rd verse : 

"Oh that my words were now 
written ! Oh that they were printed 
in a book. That they were graven 
with an iron pen and lead m the 
rock forever ! For I know that my 
redeemer liveth, and that he shall 
stand at the latter day upon the 
earth. And though after my skin 
worms destroy this body, yet in my 
flesh shall I see Gk>d.'' 

Now, in the first place. Job is 
speaking in regard to what we all 
seek in this world, in regard to the 
common lot of mortals. '^Man 
lieth down and riseth not" In 
saying that Job had no reference to 
what would take place in the future. 
He was speaking of the common 
experience of mankind. But after- 
wu*d, inspired by the spirit of pro- 
phecy, he looked right down to the 
latter days, in the midst of his 
afflictions, his trouble and sorrow, 
Us pain of bod^ and anguish of 
mmd, when his fiends' were turned 
against him — he looked down to the 
latter days and wished that his 
words were writtetn and printed in a 
book, that the yr&tdn were graven in 
the rock with an iron pen aud lead 
put into them, that they might 
stand as a witness to all future gene- 
rations, as a testimony^ to the resur- 
tection of the body and a rebuke to 
to the vain philosophy of the latter 
tifiaes. 

I will now read' avterse or two 
£bin the book ofther Prophet Isaiah,' 
t^ehow that'others of the ancients; 
besidfH Job, had ' some idea of the 
doetritie of* the reMnwdon of the 
Md. In the iOtli,' 20tfft and 21st 

No. 15. 



verses of. the 26idi chapter of Isaiah' 
we read ; 

^'Tky dead men shall live, to- 
gether with my dead body shall they ^ 
arise. Awake and sing, ye that* 
dwell in dust : for thy dew is as th6- 
dew of herbs, and the earth shaJl 
cast out the dead. 

Come, my people, enter thou into 
thy chambers, and shut thy doors' 
about thee : hide thyself as it were'' 
for a little moment, until the indig- 
nation be overpast. 

For, behold, the Lord cometh out 
of his place to punish the inhabi- 
tants of the earth for their iniquity : 
the earth also shall disclose her olood' 
and shall no more cover her slain.** 

Isaiah, you see, had the same spirit 
as Job. He spoke about the timm 
when the indignation or wrath of 
Qod should pass over the earth, and 
he wished to be biddea in the grave 
until that time was over, and then, 
he expected the earth to cast out 
her d^. 

I have not time to read the 37tli 
chapter of Ezekiel — ^you can read it 
at home-^but in that chapter we 
find that the Lord showed Ezekiel' 
a* valley full of diybones. The Lord' 
asked him whether these bones cotticb 
live, atid heanswiBrefl, "Thouknow-^ 
est" Then the Lord told him td 
propheay upon these' boneEl, and ai' 
he pnpheaed, there was a noise,' 
and behold a sfaaldng^ and the bonefar 
came together, bone to his bone, the^ 
sinews and the flesh caime upon thcifn, 
and th# ddn covered them abc^p 
but there was' no breath' ini^hemi 
Then' the Loird again told themtoi' 
prophesy, and^ he paropUeffled as aaaii 
manded, and thb breath camlfi into 
theid^'azid tiiey livvd and stood uptef 
their feet^anlibcceediiiff.gnto^^ armyt' 
N6w^ we haiwuo' need 't6* redd ^ 
wiitingst of thedivineir of thH.pii^sefitf 
iimb & find out' whatrltfaiB mding 

Vol XXI. " 



22& 



JOURNAL OY DISOOITRSBR* 



Bight in the same chapter is given 
the interpretation. 

" These bones are the whole house 
of Israel : behold, they say, Our 
bones are dried and our hope is lost; 
we are cut ofif for our parts. There- 
fore prophesy and say unto them : 
Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, O 
ijay people, I will open your graves, 
and cause you to come up out of 
your graves, and bring you into the 
Land of Israel. * * And shall 
put my spirit in you, and ye shall 
live ; and I will place you in your 
own land. Then ye shall know that 
r the Lord have spoken it, and per- 
formed it, saith the Lord." 

Now, by these testimonies that I 
have quoted from the Old Testament 
scriptures, we find that the people 
#ho lived on the earth before the 
days of Jesus had some knowledge 
in regard to the future, in regard to 
the condition of the spirit when it 
left the body, and also in regard to 
the resurrection of the body. The 
wise man Solomon in the Book of 
Ecclesiastes 12th chapter and 7th 
verse, speaking in regard to death, 
after giving a very poetical descrip- 
tion of the house we live in, says : 
Thed shall the dust return to the 
earth as it was : and the spirit shall 
return unto God who gave it." He 
had some idea in regard 'to life after 
death, although if we read some of 
his writings we might gain the idea 
that man ended whim his body was 
laid down in the grate. 

Now, these doctrines, which wore 
Httderstood by the people bafcire the 
dajTS of Christ are the same as be- 
lieved in by the disoifdies of Jesus, 
the same as Jesus tad^t. We will 
take, for instance, Jesus' own decla- 
ifttion in regard to the resiinectbn, 
m which he says ; ^' Marvel not at 
this ; for the hour is coming, in the 
irhich all that are in their graves, 
lihall hoar his v»iee. .And shall 



come forth ; they that have doiie good 
unto the resurrection of life ; and 
they that have done evil unto the 
resurrection of damnation." Or as 
it reads in the Prophet Joseph 
Smith's version, "they that have 
done good in the resurrection of the 
just, and they that have done evil 
in the resurrection of the unjust" 
Now, according to Christ's own 
statement to his disciples, aU that 
are in their graves are to come forth, 
both the righteous and the wicked, 
just as it is taught in the Book of 
Mormon. This is also in accordance 
with what the Prophet Daniel — 
another of those ancients who under- 
stood this doctrine — says in the 12th 
chapter of his book. He speaks of 
Michael and the great trouble that 
shall come upon the earth in the 
latter days and says : " And many 
of them that sleep in the dnst of 
the earth shall awfdce, some to ever- 
lasting life, and some to ^hame and 
everlasting contempt," Daniel 
underotood that there wae to be a 
resurrection both of the just and the 
unjust. Now take the 20th chapter 
of the Book of Eevelations, read it^ 
and you will find the resurrection 
portrayed to John by vision when he 
was on the Isle of Patmos. He says : 
" And I saw thrones, and they sat 
upon them, and judgment was given 
unto them, and I saw the souls of 
them tlntt w«»re Mieaded for the 
witness of Jesus, and for the word 
•f God, and which had not wor- 
shipped the bisast, neither his image, 
neither had received his mark upon 
their foreheads, or in their hands ; 
and they lived and reigned with 
Christ a thousand years. But the 
re»t of the dead lived not again until 
the thousand years were finished. 
This is the firat resurreotion. Bias- 
sed and holy is he that hath part in 
the first resurrection : on such the 
second deaith hath no power, bit 



THE INSPIRATION, XTC. 



227 



they shall be priests of God and of 
Christ, and shall reign with him a 
thousand years." 

And after the thousand years pass- 
ed away, John saw in the vision the 
rtst of the dead brought forth. "The 
sea gave up the dead which were in 
it; and death and hell delivered up 
the dead which were in them : and 
they were judged; every man accord- 
ing to their works." 

The Apostle Paul in writing to 
the Philippians, 3d chap., 20-21 v. 
says: "Our conversation in his hea- 
ven, from whence also we look for 
the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ : 
who shall chahge our vile body, that 
It may be fashioned like unto this 
glorious body." Now, according to 
thi» testimony, the righteous, who 
look for a part in the first resurrec- 
tion, expect to have bodies like the 
glorious body of the Son of God. 
What kind of a body was thati We 
read that Jesus Christ was put to 
death upon the eross ; that when he 
had cried with a loud voice, he said 
** Father, into thy hands I commend 
my spirit," and then gave up the 
^host. The body was placed 
in a new tomb in which no man 
had lain, and to guard the body, lest 
somebody should come and take it 
away, Roman soldiers were placed 
before the door ofihe tomborsepul- 
<chre. But we read that two angels 
came, before whom these Boman 
soldiers fell as dead, and they (the 
angels) rolled away the stone from 
the tomb and the sleeping body of 
Jesus awakened and came forth. 
When the disciples arrived the body 
▼as gone. Mary went into the gar- 
den to try and find out something 
cbncermng the body, and while she 
was weeping Jesus appeared unto 
her. She sprang forward and was 
4bout to embrace him when he said, 
Touch me not; for I am not yet 
ascended to my Father: but go to my 



brethren and say unto them I ascend 
unto my Father and your Father, 
and to my Grod and to your God.* 
When the disciples were informed 
of this they could not believe it, and 
they met together on a certain oe- 
casion, and when the doors were 
shut, for fear of the Jews, and they 
found they were securely alone, they 
began to talk about the wonderfiu 
things that had transpired; about 
the death of Jesus, the cruci&don of 
one whom they thought was to take 
the throne and sit upon it in power 
forever. And we read that while 
they were talking Jesus appeared in 
their midst and said, "peace be unto 
you." 

*'But they were terrified and af- 
frighted, and supposed that they 
had seen a spirit. And he said un- 
to them, why are ye troubled] and 
why do thoughts arise in your hearts. 
Behold my hands and my feet, that 
it is I myself: handle me and see; 
for a spirit hat not flesh and bones 
as ye see me have. * * * 

And while they yet believed not 
for joy and wondered, he said unto 
them, have ye here any meat ) And 
they gave him a piece of a broiled 
fish and of an honeycomb. And he 
took it and did eat before them. 
Luke xxiv 36-43. 

Now, here was a resurrection of 
thie body. Not the raising of Christ's 
spirit, but his body out of the tomb. 
In that body he appeared before the 
disciples, and when they thought it 
was merely a spirit, he told them 
that a spirit had not flesh and bonet 
as they saw him have. The disciple« 
who had this manifestation told 
some of the rest. Thomas, however, 
would not believe it He said, "Ex- 
cept I shall see in his hands tba 
print of the hails, and put my fingev 
into the print of the nails, and 
thrust my hand into his side, I wiB 
not believei" Afiec making use #f 



SS8 



JOURNAL 0!r^ DtSCJOtJKSldS. 



these fpbUsfa reknarkd^ Jesus appeared 
Jtf THomas' when he was assetn- 
ibteVt With the other disciples, atid he 
saH unto Thomas, "Reach hither 
thy fliger and hehoWmy^hand^j and 
r^ch hither thy hand arid thrust it 
iiito my side : and be not faithless 
but believing." Thomaas cotild not 
help believing then, but Jesus said 
unto him, "Thomas, because thou 
hast seen me, thou has believed : 
blessed are they that have not seen 
and yet have believed." Faith is a 
great blessing. Some people will not 
believe anything they cannot grasp 
with their human reason or cannot 
feee with their natural eyes. But 
blessed is the man of faith, blessed 
is the woman of faith ! For by faith 
they can see into things that cannot 
b6 discerned by the natural eyes. 
They can reach out to the regions of 
immortality, grasp eternal realities 
and lay hold upon the things of God! 
Now, Jesus appeared in the same 
body that was placed in the tomb, 
and yet it was not the same, there 
was a change in it. What change 
Was it) We read that Jesus Christ 
shed his blood '^ for the remission of 
sins; not for ours only, but for the 
sins of the whole world.'' Jesus wa^ 
raised up from the dead by the 
power of God, and says Paul, "If the 
spirit of him that raised up Jesus 
from the dead dwell in you, he that 
raUied up Christ from the dead 
shall also quicken your mortal bodies 
by his spirit that dwelleth in you." 
Paul also says "Flesh and blood can- 
not inherit the kingdom of God." 
Plood is corruptible, the blood- 
quickened body is subject to the law 
of death. But Christ s body when 
it was raised from the desld was 
**quickened by the spirit" There was 
a great deal of difference not only in 
Inspect but in others. Y/nen 
le disciples were shut up in that 
iSottm' Christ wtoable td enter it 




without opening the door, whicli 
could not be done by mortals. H^ 
had power to manifest himself to 
his discipfles. and he had powef to- 
cover hittiself front their gaizei H§ 
had power to overcome the laws of 
gravity, and on a certain occasion, 
after he had visited his disciples, 
had appeared to 500 brethren at once, 
had given instructions to his apostles 
to build up his church, as he spoke 
to them "a cloud received him out 
of their sight." He was able to lift 
himself up from the earth and de- 
part from this sphere to another; 
his body was no longer a mortal 
body, no longer governed by the 
same laws as those by which we are 
governed. We are also told that 
"While they looked stedfastly to- 
ward heaven as he went up, behold, 
two men stood by them in white 
apparel; which also said. Ye men of 
Gjuilee why stand ye gazing up into 
heaven? this same Jesus, which is 
taken up from >ou into heaven,, 
shall so come in like manner as y& 
have seen him go to heaven — Act 
i, 9-11." When he shall come again 
he shall come in the same body, and 
we are told in the 14th chapter of 
Zachariah that his feet shall stand 
in that day upon the Mount of Olives, 
and in the 13th chapter that 
when the Jews behold him^ 
the Messiah, whom they hav^ 
expected so long, they will say 
'*What are these wounds in thin¥ 
hands." Then he shall answCTi' 
'Those with which I was wounded 
in the house of my friends." An4 
then every family wiU mouril apart^ 
the whole house of Israel win 
mourn because of the wickedness df 
their forefathers- in 'putting him tS 
death. In receiving hina at his 8e<^ 
ond coming they will compreherifl 
the truth of his first ' coming, anlf 
not before; ».td thej^ ^i\X ' wdcoite 
him as the ^esuft^ected-'Chfifet* 



T«p ,;nspjeation, btc. 



229 



. Now, ihe ^po?tle Paul sftys that 
<*$e sh^ll.9}iagg9iOi^r vile bo^y, , that 
it;^nvay J;^e f^Timne^ ^ikje .)^to his 
glorious l|>,Qdy." whfit kind pf bodies 
wfll the righteous possess in the re- 
fiurrectionT They are to be bodies of 
flesh and bones quickened by spirit; 
not quickened by blood, no longer 
subjeqt to death, pain, or any pf the 
ills of mortality. This does not 
look much as if the separation of 
the spirit from the body is resurrec- 
tion, Such a doctrine as that is not 
according to the scriptures, it is only 
".vain philosophy." 

Latter-day Saints, beware of this 
vain philosophy which would rob 
you of your faith in the resurrection 
Ihat is to come. 0, what a glorious 
hope it brings ! Husbands who 
mourn the loss of their wives, whom 
they loved and whom they have 
placed away in the tomb, shall re- 
<5eive them again in the resurrection. 
What a glorious meeting, that is, if 
they have been sealed by the holy 
order of God. Whatever is thus 
fiealed to them on earth is sealed in 
heaven. Husbands and wives, those 
fiealed and united according to the 
holy order of celestial marriage, will 
be joined again in the resurrection. 
They will come forth out of the 
tomb and their bodies will be quick- 
ened by the power of the Holy Spirit, 
and made gloiious like unto the body 
.of the Son of God. They will be 
re-united as man and wife for- 
ever, and of their increase and of 
the extent of their dominion and 
glory, power and might and majesty, 
there shall be no end ! Mothers who 
f ut away the bodies of their little 
ones in the ground in deep sorrow 
and lamentation shall receive their 
'{babes again to their bosoms. As 
they were laid down in the grave, so 
i)^, they come forth again in the 
^saime stature, the same likeness, no- 
thing shall be lost, not even a hair of 



their heads, but th^y qhall be quif^e^- 
ed after the poy^rei: of an^n^le^s^liJjP* 
Ti^e Apostle Pai^l iljustra^jes ,t)t^^.-4p 
the .IS.th chapter olf "Ist Coiir^tli^iM?,^. 
He s^s : *Ht is sown in oorr\iptio;(]^ ; 
it is raised in incorruption : it is soura 
in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is 
sown in weakness; it is raised, in 
power: ^t is sown a naturaj body;. it 
is raised a spiritual body. There is 
a natural bodv ; and there is a spir- 
itual body." "When wheat is planted 
in the ground, the seed seems to die. 
It is said that in the midst of life we 
are in death. But in the midst ^of 
death there is life. There is a nucleus 
of life that is imperishable. There is 
a germ within that little kernel of 
wheat that seems to perish and die, 
that is also indestructible, and so 
with the body planted in the 
ground. What is raised, Paul 1 Is 
It the spirit raised out of the bod3r1 
No; it is the resurrection of the bQ4y* 
That was the testimony the apos- 
tles bore. Their chief testimpny 
was that Jesus was crucified upon 
the cross, and that he was raised up 
from the dead. 

But, says one, I cannot see any 
good of it. What is the use of thi^ 
old body after it goes to the ground 
and mingles with the du^tl 
What is the use of taking the 
trouble to bripg it up again 1 
How is it possible? In regard to the 
possibility, there are a great many 
things possible with God that are 
impossible with man. A few years 
ago it was not thought possible fpr a 
man to stand in New York and talk 
to another in London, but it is done, 
it is possible, and many things are 
done now that were not thought of 
years ago. Supposing a person wh^ 
knows nothing about the properties? 
of the magnet were to visit some of 
the big factories in England, .h^ 
would see in miany of them large 
quantities of brass and steel filiog? 



230 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



all mixed together. I have been in 
gach works and seen that the pro- 
prietors are very careful to allow 
nothing to go to waste. They sweep 
tip aU these filisgs and put them in 
barrels or other receptacles, and by 
and by some one comes along with 
a large magnet and digs it into the 
mass of mixed filings, and when it is 
withdrawn it is seen to be covered 
with particles of steel or iron. This 
is repeated over and over again until 
aU the steel is separated from the 
brass. Bnt a person who had no 
knowledge of the magnet would 
naturaUy think, on seeing these par- 
ticles all mixed together, that it 
would be impossible to separate 
them. Now, do you not think that 
God has more power than man. 
That he has "magnets" vrith pro- 
perties beyond our present ken ] I 
think he has. I think if God desires 
to bring the particles of the human 
body together, he understanding 
their composition, can easily do so. 
In the beginning he spake to chaos, 
and by the power of his faith the 
worlds were formed. Faith is a 
force. It is as much a force as mag- 
netism or electricity. It is the 
power by which the universe was 
framed. God can speak to the ele- 
ments of our bodies and bring them 
forth again according to certain 
fixed laws known to him if not to 
us. Jesus spoke to the winds and 
they obeyed him. He walked upon 
the water. Out of five loaves and 
two fishes he made a great feast, 
" And they took up twelve baskets 
full of the fragments, and of the 
fishes. And they that did eat of 
the loaves were about five thousand 
men." All this was done upon natu- 
ral principles, and we would be able 
to comprehend this if we understood 
natural principles thoroughly. And 
I have no doubt in my own mind, 
that when the resurrection shall 



come, when God shall speak, and w^ 
shall answer, it will be just as natu- 
ral to bring up our bodies in the 
morning of the Resurrection as it was 
for us to lay them down. Why, we 
do not understand how it is that 
they crumble away. Can you ex- 
plain the death process, when an 
individual is taken hold of by som» 
mysterious power, and the life goes 
out of him ) There is no brightness 
to the eye, no beauty on the cheek, 
no motion to the lip, all is quiet, 
cold and lifeless. The body is 
placed away in the ground and the 
particles begin to separate, when, 
but a little while before there was 
something that caused all the par- 
ticles of that body to cling together. 
A change has come, and they all 
want to get away from each other. 
What is the process and who under- 
stands it ? There are a great many 
things we do not understand. This 
afternoon we are whirling in space 
at an immense velocity. The earth 
is revolving upon its own axis and 
traveling around the sun. How is 
it done 1 " By the operation of cer- 
tain forces" But how did these 
forces come into operation^ what did 
they spring from, how are they regur 
latedl Who knows 1 Who under- 
stands the process of sleeping and 
waking up again 7 Here is a thing 
that takes place every night We 
go to sleep. How do we go to sleep t 
I do not know. Sometimes I try to 
go to sleep and cannot, and again I 
try to keep awake and cannot. 
Sleep is in the likeness of death, and 
waking up is in the likeness of 
the resurrection. I do not know 
how it is done, only that it is done 
by the power of God. It will be as 
Job says, God will call and we wiQ 
answer. The glorious frame of man, 
the most beautiful piece of God's 
workmanship, so "fearfully and 
wonderfully made," will come forth 



THS INSPIRATION, SXa 



2»1 



in its full perfection and endure 
throughout idl the ages of eternity. 

"Well, what is the good of itf I 
think that paesage in the Book of 
Doctrine and covenants explains it 
clearly. The Lord through the 
Prophet Joseph Smith said uiat the 
spirit and the body of man must be 
inseparably connected before a full- 
ness of joy can be obtained. Man 
must be raised up in an immortal 
body which cannot be grasped by 
the hand of death. The unembodied 
or disembodied spirit cannot receive 
the joys that come through the 
grosser elements. Spirit ministereth 
to spirit Spiritual things have af- 
finity for that which is spiritual. 
There are pleasures which can only 
flow through the medium of a ma- 
terial body, and hence the necessity 
of the resurrection. A perfect be- 
ing is an inmiortal spirit dwelling in 
an immortal body, and by affinity 
with all things, and heaven the key 
to the heights and depths and 
breadths of the universe, is able to 
draw from every source the joy and 
bliss and pleasures and glories, that 
are the heritage of the celestial ones 
who are filled with the fullness of 
the eternal God. I am afraid that 
those vain philosophers who do not 
want any more to do with the body 
after death, will find themselves in 
the same condition as those who are 
spoken of in the vision of Ezekiel to 
which I have referred. The Lord 
declared of them "Behold they say. 
Our bones are dried our hope is lost, 
we are cut off for our parts." 

There is a great deal in the revela- 
tions that God has given to the pro- 
phet Joseph that may not be plain 
to our minds at the first glanOi. 
Therefore^ I would advise my 
brethreu and sisters to read, mark, 
learn, and inwardly digest the 
things that God has placed on re- 
cord for oar guidance, and let us 



place our tmst in them rather than 
upon the vain philosophy and fooi- 
isnness oif men who ^nk they ate 
great scientists, and imagine that they 
can reason out the things of God. 
Man, by searching, cannot find out 
Ood) but He reveals them to the 
faithful by his spirit which "search- 
eth all things, yea the deep things 
of G«d." And if we will take for 
our guide the laws and precepts Grod 
has given ; take the Bible, the Book 
of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine 
and Covenants, which all run to- 
gether like three globules of water, 
and are like the three measures of 
meal in the parable, and seek to 
Grod Almighty for the gift and pow- 
er of the Holy Ghost, that it may be 
a lamp to our feet and a light to our 
path, then we will have manifested 
unto us those things that are neces- 
sary for us to understand. God has 
set in the Church in these days, as 
he did in olden times, apostles, pro- 
phets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, 
etc.,- for the work of the ministry 
and for the perfecting of the Saints, 
and if we are guided by the living 
oracles of the Church, and the pow- 
er of the Holy Ghost and the sacred 
books, we will not go astray, but if 
weare guided b^ the vain philosophy 
of uninspired men we are almost 
sure to get upon the wrong path. 

This is the point which I 
desired to make plain this 
afternoon — ^the glorious doctritie 
of the resurrection of the body, one 
of the main doctrines of the Chris- 
tian religion. It all hinges on that; 
for if Christ is not risen, then is our 
hope vain. Christ died and was 
raised again. So shall we die — ^per- 
haps not all of us will sleep in the 
earth, for some are to remain and be 
alive at his coming — ^bnt we shall aD 
be raised, and those who dwell upob 
the earth when the Lord appears 
shall be changed in the twinkling «f 



JOUBHAL or .BI8009B8KS. 



.jn eye. The tmmpet Bhill sound 
and die dead shall awake, and with 
iliose who aie living shall be caught 
up to meet the Lord. Perhaps this 
.inay be the lot of some in tins oon- 
gr^ation this afternoon. The day 
'<^ the Lord is nigh at hand. Behold 
•he cconeth, as the pn^hets have de- 
dared! Not as the k»be of Bethle- 
hem, but as the Lord of power and 
fi^oiy, as the resarrectdon and the 
Bfe! £very word which has been 
apoken concerning him will be ful- 
filled. Christ will i^pear and he 
will call the righteous to himself 
They will come forth in the morn- 
ing of that great '* day of the Lord, 



that bright and beautifiil momiBg 
when the Sun of li^iteonsness shall 
arise with healing in his wings, and 
the lambent rays ot his legS. glorjr 
shall warm the righteous dead to 
life. But wo unto them that know 
not God and obey not Hie Oospd, 
for th^ shall be banished fix>m the 
presence of the Lord, and until the 
millennial day is over they cannot 
come forth in their bodies to receive 
their portion. 

May Crod help us to walk in his 
ways and keep his commandments, 
that we may have a rig^t to a part 
in the first resurrection, is my prayer 
in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 



DISCOUBSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT, 

IN The Taesbnaci^ Salt Laks Grrr, Sunday Ajtcbbnoon, 

August 8th, 188a 

(Bepofied by John Irvine.) 



JEAN TO BE JUDGED BY LAW — ^A LAW GIVEN TO ALL THINGS — ^THB LAW 
OF GRAVITATION — ^HOW IT VARIES BY DISTANCE — ^LAW OF PROJEC- 
TION — ^LAW OF ELLIFTLC FORMS, HAVING THE SAME LENGTH OF YEAR 
— ^LAW OF ORBITAL VELOCITY — ^TTS VARIATIONS DEPENDING ON DIS- 
TANCE — ^WISB ADAFTATION^INTELLIGENT SELECTIONS OF LAW — LAWS 
OF NATURE COUNTERACTED. 



What we have heard from this 
4tand, thia afternoon, as well as on 
Ibnner occasions, we must meet 
jmin in the great judgment day. 
aff e have quite a number of scribes 
Ht the tahle^ who are writing down 



j anything that is said. These are 
not, however, the only scribes. 
There are others behind the Yai],who 
take down the discourses of the ser- 
vants of €rod; they are recorded 
there; and the hooka will be opened 



MAN too Mi '^i^PlGfD f^ UkW, STG. 



mfi 



at ^me fiiture* tjpue. ^jAJUl^i^.:v^;^rx^- 
.^)g8 that havafbi^ giv^A ^ fc)vd 
Jfatt«r-d%y Saint/a, a^.^o t^e, world, 
jpl j^ain come i^, iiir^owQ^P^ 
tune of the Lord, ^^qgmant; and 
;it will be required of us to^'Onderan 
,accpunt, whether we h^iTe \»^n 
obedient to those warnings, or 
.whether we have been di^bedicnt. 
The Lord is a consistent Being in 
all his doings. He will not condemn 
the children of men, for not re- 
ceiving something that they were 
ignorant of; but, if they are con- 
demned at all, it will be for reject- 
ing something that they have un- 
derstood, or something that they 
might have uderstood, bad the;y 
improved the opportunity. They 
will be judged according to law, ac- 
cording to testimony, and according 
to that which is written in the 
sacred books. The records of heaven 
T^ill be op^ied. The records,, kept 
by divine authority on the earth, 
mW also be opened. The evidences 
and testimonies vill be ,set forth; 
and every anan and every woman, 
who is condemned, in the great judg- 
ment day, will be condemned accord- 
ing to law, according to testimony, 
according to evidence, according to 
the light that has been given, ac- 
cording to the deeds done iyi the 
body. 

The Lord is a Being who has given 
laws unto all things; and he adapted 
these laws, according to the condi- 
tion and circumstiances of all things. 
•All agents, free ageats, wlio 
have light and knowledge to 
know how to act, ,how to 
discern good from evil, will be judg- 
ed according to one law. They are 
not compelled to obey the law which 
•tl;iey hear, but they can act accord- 
ing to their agency, either in obey- 
iag or disobeying, receiving the 
blessings of obedience or the fruits 
of disobedience. The Lord has giv- 



.^n ft great ipiiny,l^wB, beside tl^^ 
.which ;he has givoA to free ^g^j^y 
or. to intQlIigi^t beings ; b|ut ,^1^ 
di^er m their nature, a^qcprd^n^fjl^ 
the condition and cirqutastances of 
the inaterialfi to w^ich these l^iws 
are ^ven. See a revelation upon the 
subject of these laws, which w^ 
given on the 27th day of Decepibetiip, 
1882 (Doc. &. Cov. pp. 305 to 3d0). 
This revelation was called, in those 
days, the "olive leaf." In this reve- 
lation, the Lord infoisns us that "he 
hath given a law unto all things by 
which they move in their times and 
their seasons." These laws which 
are given to the materials of nature, 
are generally obeyed. There does 
not seem to be any agency on the 
part of these materials, so far as 
we naturally comprehend it ; at 
least, if there is an agency, it seems 
to be very obedient instead 
of disobedient Hence, whjBn 
he issues forth a law to govern the 
materials of creation the law seema 
to be obeyed; at least do not know 
of any disobedience. It would al- 
most seem as though these mater- 
ials act under compulsion, and are 
really obliged to act as they do. Yet 
there are some sayings in this same 
revelation, which seem to indicate 
that there is a degree of intelligence 
even in these materials. We ^ad 
that "the earth abideth a law of a 
celestial kingdom, for it fiUeth. the 
measure of its creation, and trans- 
gresseth not the law." Thi3 would 
seem to indicate that there is some- 
thing connected with, the earth 
itself> wherein it has an agency; and 
that because of the ^erciae pii^ 
agency, and keeping the law, it 
should be croivned with celestial 
glory. The materials out of which 
our earth is formed, are also govern- 
ed by law. Not only t^he earth 
as an organised wodd, l^i^ 
the very n^teiiaU tbemselvcis, 



334 



JOURNAL OF DI800UR8XS. 



are governed by laws. These 
laws were givea of God ; and when 
we search into the laws, not of na- 
ture merely, but the laws of God, 
aind the more we comprehend the 
laws by which materials are govern- 
ed, the more we understand the 
laws of God and his operations in the 
universe. 

The earth seems to take one con- 
tinued course. It has an orbit. It 
does not deviate from this orbit, un- 
less acted upon by some other 
force, which may cause come fluc- 
tuations or deviations irom its ap- 
parently destined path. Some, in 
reflecting upon this might say, that 
the earth is obliged to follow this 
course. I do not know about this, I 
am not so sure. I think if we could 
see a little further, we would under- 
stand that, connected with the ma- 
terials of the earth is a living princi- 
ple, a principle too, that acts accord- 
ing to certain laws, intelligently, not 
blindly; and that our earth, in per- 
forming its course, following the 
track marked out, does so according 
to law, as much as we do when we 
go forth and are buried in the wa- 
ters of baptism. We go according to 
law, and obtain a blessing, so does 
the earth, when following the course 
marked out for it *'God hath given 
a law unto all things, by which 
they move in their times and their 
seasons.*' We know that all of these 
great movements, which we observe 
taking place in the universe around 
us, are conducted according to cer- 
tain laws, which mankind have, in 
a few instances, been able to search 
out themselves, through the intelli- 
gence that God has eiven them. For 
mstance, we see a force in exercise, 
when we lift up a stone from the 
ground, and hold it in our hands; the 
moment we let go this stone, it falls 
to the earth. What causes it to 
falll Philosophers tell yon that "it 



falls according to a law of nature.** 
But who is this nature that gave 
this lawt Why do material booies 
falll Why do they not re- 
main stationary, suspended in 
the air, or in a vacuum t 
Why do they have a tendency to 
approach the centre of the earths 
It is beeause there is a force 
which draws them towards such 
centre. What is this force? Scien- 
tists have called it gravitation ; but 
the name does not explain the force. 
We are certain that a central force 
exists ; and that such force is some- 
thing that acts according to a cer- 
tain law. Now, if you were to take 
a material body, as for instance, a 
stone, 4,000 miles above the 
surface of the earth and let go of it; 
it would only fall one-fourth part. of 
the distance, in a second, that it will 
fall here, near the surface of the 
earth. Why will it not fall with the 
same velocity up yonder as here? 
Because the law which God has 
given in relation to these materials, 
varies in its intensity of force, ac- 
cording to some law of the distance 
from the central force. A body will 
fall, near the earth's surface, about 
16 feet and one inch, in one second 
of time. You take it up 4,000 miles, 
and it will fall only ohout four feet 
in one second of time. This has 
been demonstrated by the action of 
the earth upon the moon which is 
nearly ^0 times further from the 
earth's centre than we are. The moon 
only falls toward the eArth about 
the eighteenth part of one inch in a 
second, which is about 3,600 times 
slower than a stone or other bodies 
would fall at the earth's surface. 
Thus, it will be perceived, that this 
gravitating force diminishes in its 
intensity according to a fixed law, 
depending on the distance from the 
centre of the earth. This law was 
I discovered by Newton. It is known 



MAN TO BE JUDGED BY UlVT, ETC. 



235 



beyond all controversy that if we go 
iroice the distance which we are from 
•ur earth's centre, bodies will weigh 
two times two less than they weigh 
here. If we recede thrice our pre- 
sent dictance, bodies will weigh 
three times three, or nine times less 
than if weighed here. At ten times 
the distance, the weight would be 
ten times ten less than here. At 
sixiy times our distance from the 
earth's centre (which is the distance 
of our satellite) bodies would weigh 
toward the earth, sixty times sixty 
less than they weigh here; but sixty 
times sixty are thirty-six hundrexl ; 
that is, a pound would weigh thirty- 
six hundred times less if carried to 
the moon's orbit, than here. 

In the language of mathematici- 
ans, ** the intensity of the gravitat- 
ing force varies inversely as the 
square of the distance between 
gravitating centres." This law is 
undoubtedly universal in its opera- 
tions, extending to all the visible 
universe. 

This law, combined with orbital 
movements, is necessary to the sta- 
bility of worlds revolving in space. 
Without it, systems on systems 
would soon rush to rain. If any 
other law of intensity than the one 
which now exists were assumed, ir- 
retrievable ruin would soon follow. 
Out of the infinity of laws of variable 
intensities depending on distances, 
the only one has been selected which 
alone can impart stability to all sys- 
tems in space. Who made this all- 
wise selection? Did blind matter 
select its own laws? Or did an all- 
wise and an all-powerful Being im 
part these laws, — ^selecting out of an 
mfinity of force intensities, the only 
law of variable intensity, which 
would render stable the grand ma- 
chinery of the universe 1 

This curious law some will tell us 
is merely a law of materials, that 



God had nothing to do with it. But 
I dispute it. I say that God is the 
Auther of this law ; and were it not 
for this infinitely wise provision, 
there would not be such a thing as 
one particle of matter being drawn 
to another; and a stone, when loosen- 
ed from the hand, would still remain 
where it is set free. 

Again we see our world here — the 
earth on which we are permitted to 
live and have our being, — sweeping 
round the great centre of the solar 
system, once in 365 days and a frac- 
tion of a day : it has continued in this 
path, not only through a few centu- 
ries, but for thousands of years ; or, 
in other words, it has followed this 
course according to some undeviating 
law. Whatever this law may be 
God has ordained it, for he has or- 
dained the "law which is given 
to all things, by which they move in 
their tiipes and their seasons." 

This earth does not revolve around 
the sun, once a year, in a circular 
orbit, but in an oblong, elliptical 
orbit. Now, it is just as easy to 
cause a body to revolve around the 
sun, in an ellipse, a& in a . circle. 
For instance, if our Earth, when at 
its mean distance from the Sun, 
should be projected, with its present 
mean velocity, in a line at right 
angles to the lines joining the Earth 
and Sun — ^it would describe a per- 
fect circle around that luminary. 
But let the projections deviate from 
a right angle, a little less than one 
degree, and it will take the very 
form of orbit it now has, provided 
it is projected with the same mean 
velocity that it now has. Again let 
this same earth be projected, at its 
mean distance from the Sun, in a 
line making an angle of 70 degrees, 
31 minutes and 44 seconds of an arc, 
instead of 90 degrees, as in the in- 
stance just named, and the form of 
the orbit would be greatly changed : 



;836 



jQHRrNAJ. OF DKigoy^is^s. 



the distance from th^ Sun, when 
nearest, would be pnly sixty-one 
millions of miles ; ftud in si^ jnonths 
^fter, the distance. wpvild be doubled, 
that is, one hundred and twenty- 
two millions of miles. Under these 
•circumstances, the Sun, when near- 
est, would appear four times larger 
than at its aphelion distance. 

You see, then, how easy the 
Lord, by deviating the angle of pro- 
jection, could cause a gi-eat differ- 
ence, in the eccentricity of an elliptic 
orbit, without altering the mean dis- 
tance or without shortening or 
lengthening the year. The year 
would remain the same, without any 
deviation in its length, if the earth 
revolved in an ellipse of the kind 
that I have just named. Again, if 
you wanted the earth to go so near 
the Sun that it would almost graze 
its edge, and still retain the length 
of our year unchanged, it would not 
take our advanced university students 
long to determine the angle of pro- 
jection the earth should have, so as 
^to just graze the edge of the Sun, 
at the perihelion distance, and come 
i>ack again in an ellipse, which 
would be almost equivalent to a 
straight line, provided it was pro- 
jected at the mean distance that we 
^now have, with its present mean 
velocity; and the year would be 
exactly the same as now. I mention 
these tilings to show you how the 
Lord, by a little deviation, can 
.design a great variety of orbits, in 
which worlds may revolve, accord- 
;ing to law ; fpr all these things are 
done according to law ; and if actual- 
ly projected, as we would propel a 
cai^non ball, then all the Lord has 
to do is to decree the form of the 
elliptical orbit, having one year for 
its description, and the projectinjg 
angle. will be, at once, known. 

This is a law, and the Lord is the 
Author of it. It is not a law of 



nature. Jt is not a law of blind 
materials which have no knowledge 
or life connected with thj^m, pr,ip 
them or raund^bout them. 

I have been speaking of bofiies^pro- 
jected at different angles, and at the 
mean distance of our earth frpm the 
sun. But let us next go still fur- 
ther off into space. We can go 
away to the orbit of Jupiter, ^bout 
four times our distance from the 
sun. Is there any law for projection 
or a law of velocity that would cause 
bodies to revolve in orbits, At four 
times our distance from the sun? 
Yes. What is the law 1 It must not 
have the same velocity that we have. 
It must, at four times that distance, 
have only one one-half of the mean 
orbital velocity of our earth ; and, if 
you gave it more than one half of 
such velocity, it would decrease the 
mean distance of the orbit below 
four ; if you gave it less, it would in 
crease that mean distance above 
four ; but if you gave it exaetly one 
half of the velocity our earth has, 
then it would preserve its orbit in a 
circle, or in. any kind of an ellipse at 
that mean distance. Is there any 
law to govern this velocity depend- 
ing upon the distance from the sunt 
Yes. -What is the lawl According 
to mathematical expressions, "the 
velocity varies inversely as the 
square root of the distance." Well, 
says one, that is no information to 
us. We don't know what you mean 
by inversely and don't know what 
you mean by the square root ; for all 
of us have not suflSciently studied 
arithmetic so as to understand the 
roots and powers of numbers. In 
reply, I will say, it is something very 
simple to all advanced students of 
arithmetic. Let me say a few more 
words, in regard to this law ; for 
this is also a law of God. For in- 
stance, we will say, that the earth 
travels a certain distance in one 



MAN TO BB JUbaKlJ' BY LA'V^, ETC. 



2Sf 



second, which we will cail a unit 
distance or 18 miles in a second, in 
its orbit — we will call this distance 
one. We go four times further off 
than our earth is from the sun, and 
takes the square root of four. But 
inquires one, how do you get the 
square root of four? A number 
that will multiply into itself, say 
two into two, makes four ; two then 
is the square root of four, that is, it 
is the dived square root, not the 
inverse. But now you put this fig- 
ure 2 underneath a line, and. place 
the figure 1 above it (thus \) and 
such a fraction is the inverse square 
root of four. Hence, one-half the 
velocity that our earth has, must be 
given to bodies which are four times 
further from the sun than we are. 
When nine times further off from 
the sun than we are the orbital 
velocity will be only one third of 
ours ; because one third is the in- 
verse square root of nine. In like 
manner, when sixteen times furthei^ 
off, the orbitral velocity is ours. 
When twenty-five times more dis- 
tant, the orbital velocity will be one- 
fifth, and feo on to any &t£lnce. 

Here, then, is a regular laW of 
velocity : attd you may extend this' 
to any dktance, in the solar system, 
that you please. 

Now,', who ordained^ this velocity! 
Did ihk unconscious materials of 
nature' come together, and undertake 
to consider this matter % Here are 
laws th4t are conducted with great 
intelligence,— intelligence too, that 
was not understood for several thou- 
sand yoars preceding the period of 
Newton. We have no account that 
the most cixHlized nations of the 
earth had any idea of the law of 
velocity depending dn the inverse 
square root of ' t'be distance. Yet 
this law existed, whei^her understood 
by man or n6t :it ipad6 no dififeirence 
whether th6"'xiiti6iis"w6rfe igneraut 



in regard to this matter or not, the 
law existed, and operated for aged 
unperceived by mortals. 

The Latter-day Saints say, that 
the Lord of Hosts who has given ufe 
laws, adapted to our condition as 
free agents, has also given, laws to 
these material worlds, by which they 
act and by which they are preserved 
for a great, and wise and good pur- 
pose, to sustain unnumbered myriads 
of animated beings, who are by 
numerous other laws adapted to 
these worlds, and enjoy life therein. 
We now have been speaking of the 
infinitely wise law of the velocity of 
planets. But this law would not 
preserve our universe in its present 
beautiful order, if the law of gravi- 
tation was not exactly what it is. 
We say that the law of gravitation 
acts inversely as the square of the 
distance. Now, why doesn't it vary 
as the cube of the distance 1 Why 
doesn't it vary inversely as the fourth 
power of the distance, or some other 
law of distance % Because all these 
other laws would throw the system 
into destruction at once ; it could 
not be sustained. There is only one 
law among an infinite number that 
might be chosen, that would pre-' 
strve the system in its present beau- 
tiful order, and that is the law of 
the inverse square of the distance. 
Who gave this law to materials that 
they should have this attractive 
force % The Book of Covenants tells 
us that " God hath given a law unto 
all things by which they move in 
their times and their seasons f but 
if he had given a different law than 
this I have named, in regard to 
gravitation, the whole system, in a 
very short period, would be reduced 
to a chaotic mass, lifeless and inani- 
mate, existing for ho purpose, 
accomplishing no design or end. 
All this infinite 'wreck of worjds 
would be the n'^ti^ssary result of 



338 



JOURNAJi or DISCOUBSXS. 



sekcting an unwise law, varying 
from the one which now obtains 
among gravitating materials. 

The law of velocity must be exact- 
ly adapted to the law of the inverse 
square of the attractive power. 
Who was it that made this adapta- 
tion 1 Did the materials endow them- 
selves with both 01 these laws 1 
Did they perceive that no other laws 
would render the universe stable or 
lasting 1 Or, otherwise, is there an 
all-wise and all-powerful Governor 
who brings all things under the 
dominion of laws, wise in their action, 
powerful in their nature, and pre- 
serving the grand machinery of the 
imiverse, in the most perfect har- 
mony in the working of all its 
parts 1 

There must, then, have been some 
great supreme intelligence who or- 
ganized these wprlds -end gave them 
laws of attractive force and adjust- 
ed velocities and thus produced the 
harmonious orbits which we have, 
and which will preserve themselves, 
unless interfered with by some ex- 
traneous force, for thousands of 
years to come. 

We might go on and speak of a 
great many other principles connect- 
ed with these laws, but let us now 
come to the laws given to intelligent 
beings. God^has given laws to what 
might be termed intelligent nature ; 
but let me say, that what is termed 
intelligent, nature is sometimes call- 
ed in tliis same revelation from 
which I have been reading, a spirit, 
or rather, a power that " is in all 
things, through all things, round 
^bout all things, and the la,w by 
wrhich all things are governed.'* It 
13^ then, an intelligent power that 
encircles itself through, or over, or 
rpund about every particle or every 
alom, and these ato^is act in accord- 
9me with the law that is ordained, 
md do not deviate from it unless 



commanded by the same authority 
that gave the law. The same Being 
who gave the law to materials by 
which they act, can counteract the 
law. He did so in the instance 
when Elisha caused iron to swim. 
We read, that as one was felling a 
beam, the axe head fell into the 
water. The man, was much con- 
cerned, because it was a borrowed 
axe. *^ And the man of God said, 
Where fell it 1 , And he showed him 
the place. And he cut down a stick 
and cast it in thither; and the iron did 
swim." Now what was it that caused 
the axe to rise in the water? The same 
Being who gave the law of gravita- 
tion, which caused the axe to sink, 
counteracted that law, and caused 
the axe to swim. The same Being 
who gave the law of universal gra- 
vitation, can counteract this law. 
He did it, in many instances, in an- 
cient times. . He divided the Red 
Sea to allow the Israelites to pass. 
The water stood up like walls, in a 
great heap, not for a few seconds, or 
minutes, but stood there sufficiently 
long to allow the Israelites to get to 
the other side of the sea. Now, 
what was it that counteracted this 
law of nature 1 What was it that 
caused this watery element, which 
has a tendency to spread out and 
sink to its own level, to stand up in 
a heap, almost like a solid bodyt 
The same Being who gave the law, 
which governs the yielding liquid 
properties of water, can counteract 
the law, so as to make the water 
stand in heaps., drod is the great 
Author of all law, and is just as 
able to counteract a law, as he is to 
continue a law. Let him withdraw 
the command that materials shall 
attract all other materials ; let him 
say to matter, " I no longer require 
you to act according to that Jaw,** 
and you would not .find the earth 
going in an orbit around the suq^ 



MAN BO BE JUIX^^ JBY I4.W, -ETO. 



389: 



There would be no bond of union to 
keep things in their proper place; 
everything would be left to itself. 
Let Grod withdraw his law, or let 
him command adversely, and he will 
be obeyed ; because he has the 
power thus to direct ; and the intel- 
ligence which surrounds these mate- 
rials, the spirit that is in and through 
all these things, would understand 
the command and act apcordingly. 
In the same way the Lord heals the 
sick. . He has made the tabernacles 
of the children of men, and he has 
organized them according to a law, 
so that every part of the human sys- 
tem is adapted to every other part. 
The blood flows through the arteries, 
and through the veins, and every 
part performs its proper functions. 
When any part or portion of this 
wonderfully constructed being, or, in 
other words, this almost perfect 
machine, becomes deranged or out 
of order, the same Being who first 
constructed man, with ail the differ- 
ent organs, muscles, sinews and 
skin, can easily mend or regulate 
the same, and cause every part to 
work in perfect harmony with every 
other part, so as to impart health, 
and life, and vigor to the whole 
machinery. You would certainly 
think that a person was not much of 
a mechanic if, after he had construc- 
ted a beautiful clock, and it had run 
for several years, and got out of or- 
der — if when you applied to him for 
repairs he rephed that he could not, 
you would be apt to say, "You 
made it in the first place : you cer- 
tainly ought to know what is the 
matter, and you can repair and re- 
store it to working order.'* Just so 
with the Lord. When our human 
machineij is out of order, he under- 
stands all about it ; and he is 
the best physician that can be em- 
ployed ; and he also can be employ- 
^ without money and without 



price. He impart^ to this machineiy 
his Holy Spirit which circulates^ 
through the whole body, and pro- 
motes health and strength in the 
individual But how apt we are to 
apply to inferior physicians, Aa 
soon as something ails this mortal 
tabernacle, the cry is, "Oh, motheri 
or husband, wiU you send for the 
doctor. My son is very sick, and 
we need the doctor." Now this is 
sometimes the way with those who 
call themselves Latter-day Saints, 
but they ought to be ashamed that 
they do not honor the name which 
they have taken upon themselves. 
The Lord has ordauied that when 
you are sick, you should apply the 
simple ordinance of the laying on of 
hands, or the anointing with oil by 
his servants in the name of Jesus 
Christ. In this ordinance there is 
more power than in all the medical 
ability in the world; for there are 
many diseases which baffle the skill 
of the wisest physicians, while by 
the laying on of the hands of the 
servants of God — not in their own 
name, but in the name of Jesus 
Christ — according to the directions 
given in the Scriptures, we have the 
promise that they shall be healed; 
that is, if they are not appointed 
unto death. 

Here, then, is another law of God; 
and we might go on and touch upon 
instances of the healing power, — the 
healing of the lame man, the blind 
man, the deaf man, or of fevers 
removed from the body, and the 
restoration of broken bones. No^' 
we have many testemonies, especi- ' 
ally among our brethren in Wales, 
where they have, in the coal mines 
in which they worked, been crushed, 
as it were, until many bones in their 
body were broken, so much so, tha^ 
it was supposed they could onlj 
live a very few hours, at the long- 
eat; yet by the laying on of t^ 



iM^ 



JOtnblAL -O^ BIBCOUMltoi 



hiitids of the servants of Grod, we 
have the testunony of many wit- 
neisses' that those bones were brought 
together, making a noise like the 
crashing of a basket and were placed 
in their proper form; and the indi- 
viduals were restored to health and 
soundtiess. Could any herbs, or 
minerals, or physicians have ac- 
complished this? No. Who did ac- 
complish thisi The Lord Jesus 
Christ, through his servants, by the 
laying on of hands, according to his 
commandment. Did he do it accord- 
ing to law? Yes; for all his works 
are carried on, according to certain 
laws which he has ordained ; and 
if we had the same wisdom that he 
has, we could see the workings of I 



the Holy Spirit upon the bones that 
are broken; we could see the circu- 
lation of that spirit in bringing those 
bones together; we could see the ac- 
tion of that spirit in relieving the 
optic nerve, so as to impart sight to 
the eye. If we could see the work- 
ings of that spirit, and then under- 
stand by what power it works, these 
things would not be a miracle to us. 
God has no limit tho these laws that 
are called the laws of nature. He 
has an infinite number of laws; and 
he can work accordina; to any of 
them, which are suitably adapted to 
the circumstances, so as to bring 
about his righteous purposes and 
wise designs according to his own 
good will and pleasure. Amen. 



THE GREAT PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH, ETC. 



241 



DISCOURSE BY PRESIDE.^T JOHN TAYLOR, 
Dbliveked at Ogden Tabernacle, on Sunday, March 21st, 1880. 

(Reported by Oeo. F, Gibhs.) 

THE GREAT PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH AS TAUGHT BY REVELATION TO THE 
ANCIENTS, AND ALSO TO THE SAINTS IN OUR DAY. 



It affords me pleasure to have the 
opportunity of being with the Saints 
of this place to-day. I came here to 
attend to your Primary meeting of 
the juveniles ; and as I was here, I 
thought I would stay over Sunday 
and talk to the fathers and mothers 
a little. And I would state, as is 
generally understood by you all, that 
we do not have our discourses ar- 
ranged for us, or marked out par- 
ticularly. Our ideas are to present 
ourselves before the people, and to 
seek for the influence of the Spirit 
of the Lord, that such things may 
be communicated as may be advan- 
tageous and interesting to those who 
hear. And, therefore, when we 
meet together in an assembly like 
this we ought all of us, both speaker 
and hearer, to feel that we are in 
the hands of our Heavenly Father, 
and to seek for the aid of his Holy 
Spirit, that the speaker may speak 
correctly and understandingly, and 
in a manner that shall be calculated 
to promote the welfare of the people, 
and that the people themselves may 
also be prepared toreceive such things 
as may be communicated. 

We occupy a peculiar position on 
ttes earth at the preseiit time, per- 

Ko. 16. 



haps a little different from that of 
any other people that have existed 
on the earth — our thoughts, our ideas 
our principles, our organization, our 
doctrines, our ordinances, and every- 
thing connected with our religious 
matters are different from those of 
other people ; and it is our opinion, 
and not only our opinion, but a cer- 
tainty — ^in fact, it amounts to know- 
ledge among a great many of the 
Latter-day Saints, that the influencea 
and principles that we have received 
have been communicated to us by 
the Almighty. We were not th^ 
originators of the principles we be- 
lieve in; neither was Josefph nor 
Hyrum Smith, nor Prest. Brigham 
Young, nor the Twelve; neither waa 
any individual nor any people asso- 
ciated with the priesthood or theor^ 
ganization of the Church at th6 
present time. We believe that thesQ 
things have been communicated to 
us by the Lord; that they are in 
strict harmony with principles tlMci 
have existed heretofore, to a certain 
extent, with tiiis difference however; 
that in the' various dispensatieoft 
that have existed upon, the earth 
since its formation, each one hai 
had its' pi^uliar rele to fulfil, witk 

¥•1 XXL 



342 



JOXTRNAL OF DISCOURSBS. 



certain duties devolving upon those 
operating to attend to. We are living 
in the dispensation which is em- 
phatically called the dispensation of 
the fulness of times, which we are in- 
formed from the scriptures has been 
"spoken of by all the holy prophets 
since the world was;" and this being 
the case, the dispensation in which 
we live embraces necessarily all that 
was contained in any and all of the 
olher dispensations that have ex- 
isted in all the ages preceding ours; 
and that consequently whatever or- 
ganizations, manifestations, revela- 
tions or communications that have 
ever come from God to the human 
family in their times and dispensa- 
tions, we may consistently expect 
to be embodied in this one. And, 
therefore, in some respects, as I stated 
before, the dispensation or time in 
which we live differs in many par- 
ticulars from those in which God has 
communicated to man. 

We have, for instance, what is 
called the patriarchal dispensation, 
which existed before and after the 
flood. And those patriarchs and 
men of God that lived in those re- 
mote ages had communications with 
the Almighty, and they also had the 
Gospel. And they not only received 
revelations pertaining to their own 
day and age, but also in regard to 
the future. And hence we are told 
that Adam, three years before his 
death, gathered together a great 
many of his people and the promi- 
nent authorities of the holy priest- 
hood, and he blessed them, and be- 
ing filled with the Holy Ghost, pre- 
dicted whatsoever should befall his 
posterity unto the latest dispensa- 
tion, including all the leading events 
that should transpire in the different 
ages of time, even until the winding 
up scene, associated with this our 
«arth; embracing those things that 
have been and are to be brought 



forth in this the present dispensation. 
And, in fact, this dispensation, we 
are told, has been "spoken of by all 
the holy prophets since the world 
was." And, therefore, it must of 
necessity have been associated with 
the teachiugs of Adam, of Seth, of 
Enoch, of Methuselah, and of Noah, 
Abraham, Moses and many other 
prominent characters that held com- 
munication with the Lord, and who 
had revealed unto them his purposes 
and designs in the days in which 
they lived. Many people listened 
to the principles of truth in their 
day. Enoch was a remarkable man 
and had a special mission to the peo- 
ple in his day, and he was full of the 
spirit of prophecy and revelation; he 
also had a Church organization as 
we have to a certain extent, and he 
preached to the people and fore- 
warned them of certain events that 
should transpire upon the eartb. 
And the wicked were angry with 
them, as they are sometimes with 
us ; they did not like their teachings 
and operations, and they conspired 
against them, and great numbers of 
tbeir enemies assembled for the pur- 
pose of destro3dng them. And 
Enoch was clothed upon by the 
power and spirit and revelation of 
God. And whilst under the inspira- 
tion of the Almighty he uttered his 
prophecies, and his enemies and the 
people generally trembled at the 
power of his words ; and the earth 
shook, and the people fled from his 
presence afar off, and were not able 
to injure him, for God was with him. 
And Enoch, with the united labors 
of the elders of his day, gathered 
the people together who hearkened 
to his worda and believed the mes- 
sage sent to them, in the same man- 
ner as you have been gathered to- 
gether. They built up a city which 
was called Zion; and the people who 
inhabited it were under the inspira- 



THE GRBAT PRINCIPLES OF TRX7TH, ETC. 



243 



tion of the Lord for a great number 
of years; receiving instruction, 
gaidaiice and direction from him. 
And finally, as wickedness grew and 
increased, and as the testimony went 
ibrth among them, the good, the 
Tirtaous, the honorable, the pure and 
those who desired to fear God and 
work righteousness assembled them- 
selves together, constituting the city 
of Zion; and the others became more 
corrupt. And Enoch and his bre- 
thren prophesied unto the people 
about the calamities that should 
overtake them, that the world was 
to be destroyed by a flood; and there 
were provisions made for the conti- 
nuance of the human family, and it 
was made known to Methuselah 
that his seed should be the medium 
flirough which should be perpetu- 
ated the human family upon the 
earth. And Methuselah was so 
very desirous to have this thing ful- 
filled that Noah, his grandson, who 
was the son of Lamech. was ordained 
by Methuselah when he was ten 
years old. 

The people, we learn, grew to be 
so corrupt that "the imaginations of 
the thoughts of their hearts were 
only evil, and that continually;" and 
we are told that it even repented 
the Lord tliat he had made man. 
But the servants of God went forth 
preaching the Gospel of life and sal- 
vation to this wicked people, and 
warned them of the destruction that 
was coming upon the earth. Before 
&is great calamity took place Enoch 
and his city were translated. 

The power of translation was a 
principle that existed in the Church 
in that dispensation. There is some- 
thing very peculiar in these things. 
Some people, who are not in the 
Church, might ask me where I got 
my evidence fronou To the Latter-day 
Saints I would say, we get it by 
Mvelation. We do not believe that, 



say some. That we cannot help. I 
am speaking now to those who do 
believe so, to those who are believers 
in God, and who are believers in the 
Bible, the Book of Mormon, the' 
Doctrine and Covenants, and who* 
believe in the revelations which the 
Lord has given and in those he con- 
tinues to communicate. It is to 
those people I am speaking to-day 
on these points. 

The Bible does not give us a very 
extensive history of tliese matters; 
in fact, it is very, veiy brief. Re- 
ferring to that great man, Enoch, it 
tells us that he was not for God took 
him; and that is all. This is a very 
short history for so important a sub- 
ject. 

After that the flood came, which 
was a terrible calamity, to overtake 
the inhabitants of the earth; and 
they were swept away according to 
the prophecy — cut off from the earth, 
deprived of life and existence, and 
shut up in prison. 

After some thousands of years Je- 
sus came, associated with another 
dispensation. And when he ap- 
peared on the earth and had got 
through with his ministry, and had 
suffered in the flesh and was quick- 
ened by the spirit, "he went and 
preached to the sphits in pnson" who 
were, as stated, "sometime disobe- 
dient in the days of Noah." And 
hence thousands of people that had 
suffered the wrath of God for so long 
a time had the opportunity of listen- 
ing to the principles of the Gospel in 
another dispensation that Jesus came 
to proclaim. And when he had got 
through with his mission on the 
earth to those who lived, he went 
then to preach to those who had' 
been dead, and I niight properly say 
were damned for so many years. 
And what was the special missioa 
he had to proclaim) He came ^'to 
preach the Gh)spel to the poor, to 



2ii 



JOinUTAL OF DIS00UBSE8. 



Sen' the eyes of the blind, to set at 
>erty those that were bound, and 
to pt^eaoh the acceptable year of the 
Lord, and the day of vengeance of 
oar God." That was part of his mis- 
sicm; the whole of his mission,, how- 
ever, has not yet be^i fiilfilied. BUt 
he came to libelee the. prisoners, 
which he did in the spirit, when he 
got through with his mission on the 
earth. 

On the back of that Noah steps 
forward in a prominent position, and 
he had his work to perform, which 
he did perform, and began to raise 
up another seed; and they lived also 
in what may be termed a patriarchal 
dispensation. And among them 
were many of his leading posterity. 
Th^re was Melohisedec, &v instance, 
who was called the King of Salem 
and the Prince of Peace, of whom , 
Paul makes some curious remarks, 
among which was that Christ was a 
priest forever, after the order of Mel- 
chisedec. If he was, then of course 
Melchisedec was a priest after the 
order of Christ. And as Christ in- 
troduced the Gospel, so Melchisedec 
had the Gospel, and had and held 
and administered in the same priest- 
hood that Jesus did. And we read 
too, according to some men's ideas, 
a very singular thing concerning 
him, that "he was without father 
and mother, and without beginning 
of days or end of years, and abideth 
a priest continually.*' He must be, 
indeed, a very singular man, to be 
without father and without mother 
and without descent, and yet that 
he should be a priest forever. Well, 
how is it? You generally understand 
it; but I will inform those who do 
not that the Apostle Paul referred 
to the priesthood that Melchisedec 
held, and that they had what was 
termed the Aaronic or Levitical 
pri^stiaiSMHi in their day, that is, the 
iiaj/kk-ivMch JBaul lived ; and that a 



man to be a priest had to be a literal 
descendant of Aaron and of the 
tribe of Levi; and he had to be able 
to ^rove his lineage, tracing Ids de- 
scent back to the time whea thii 
priesthood was given by Moses in ddr 
wilderness. But the Melcliisedea 
priesthood was different from thaty 
it had nothing to do particularly with 
either father or mother, it bemg 
without descent, and, therefore, peo- 
ple holding it were not altogether de- 
pendent upon their father or mother 
or descent for this authority ; but 
that priesthood is an everlasting 
I»iesthood, administering in time 
and in eternity. And this is what 
Paul referred to by way of contra- 
distinction to the Aaronic priesthood 
which then existed 

Associated with this priesthood 
there were certain powers and priv- 
ileges. These Abraham possessed and 
enjoyed. Some people think that he 
was a kind of a shepherd with very 
few more ideas than a mushToom; 
that he lived in the dark ages and 
did not comprehend much ;. that ho 
was not intelligent and had a species 
of what we term now-a-dajs "old 
fogyism." But if we examine into 
his character and the position he^ 
occupied, and if we understand 
something about the principles he* 
promulgated, we shall find that ho 
was another character entirely. In 
giving his history he tells us that 
"He sought for the blessings of the 
Father and the right whereunto he 
should be ordained to administer the 
same." He further says: — "Having 
been myself a foUov^er of righteous- 
ness, desiring also to be one who 
possessed great knowledge, and to bo 
a great follower of righteousness, and 
to possess a greater knowledge, and 
to be a father of many nations, a- 
prince of peace; and desiring to re- 
ceive instructions, and to keep. the 
commandments of God I. became a* 



THE OREIT PRINOIPLBS OP TRUTH, ETC. 



9tf 



rightfdl heir, a high priest, holding 
the right belonging to the Iftthera; it 
WAS oonferred upon me from the 
&thei« ; it came down from the 
fathers, from the beginning of time. 
Yea, even from the beginning, or 
tefore the foundations of the earth, 
to the present time, even the riglrt 
of the first-born, on the first man, 
who was Adam, or first father, 
through the fathers unto me." 
Times'' and Seasons, vol. iii, p. 704. 
His father however was an idolator; 
but had probably possessed a record 
of his genealogy, for Abraham in 
his record continues : — "I shall en- 
deavor hereafter to delineate the 
chronology, running back from my- 
self to the beginning of the creation, 
for the records have come into my 
hands, which I hold until the pre- 
sent time." And having found out 
that he had a right to the priesthood, 
he, therefore, sought an ordination, 
and he was ordained by Melchisedec 
to the Melchisedec priesthood. And 
the Lord gave unto him certain priv- 
ileges and powers that were very 
great ; not only did he have an or- 
dination in the way I refer to, but 
he sought more information from 
the Lord. And the Lord communi- 
cated with him and gave him a 
Urim and Thummim by which he 
was enabled to interpret, to read and 
comprehend the mind and will and 
the laws and purposes of God. And, 
furthermore, I would state that he 
went still further. He asked God 
for certain blessings and privileges 
and powers which belonged to him 
and which he considered were with- 
in his reach, and which were his 
privilege to obtain. And the Lord 
revealed himself to him and com- 
municated unto him certain eternal 
principles — that no man can compre- 
hend unless God does reveal them — 
and many other things — ^the motion 
<rf the planets, and the planetary 



system of the earth on vrkich wie 
hve, and the sun and the moot and 
the stars and the variouB bodies thit 
compose our sokr system; and then, 
of other suns, and other heavenly 
bodies eaid the laws governing them. 
Abraham wrote those things, and 
was well versed in those great pria- 
ciples j and some men affirm to-day 
that he was the founder of certain 
abstruse principles wliich they allege 
are discovered in what is called 
the Great Pyramid of Eg3rpt, — prin- 
ciples that not only pertain to the 
planetaiy systems but to events yet 
to transpire on the earth. I am not 
going to say anything about the 
truth or the untruth of these latter 
statements, as I have not investi- 
gated them sufficiently to compre- 
hend them ; but I merely give th« 
opinion of a great many men respect- 
ing him and tlie intelligence he pcNB- 
sessed. But suffice it to say, that the 
Lord himself instructed Abraham 
in things pertaining to this and 
other worlds, and that he in his day 
possessed more light and intelligence 
on the principles alluded to than all 
the combined wisdom of the world 
of to-day. 

Now, this was the kind of a man 
that Abraham was. And his heart 
and feelings and affections were 
drawn out after God. And God 
blessed him and said unto him, 
'*That in blessing I will bless thee, 
and in multiplying I will multiply 
thee and thy seed shall be as the 
stars of heaven," &c. And further 
the Lord told him, "And in thy seed 
shall all the nations of the earth be 
blessed, because thou hast obeyed 
my word." And hence he occupied 
a very important position. And, as 
I before said, being a patriarch be 
had the gospel and the priesthood 
belonging to it, namely, the Melchis- 
edec priesthood. 

I do not propose to-day to show 



246 



JOURNAL 07 DISCOURSES. 



how these things have all been liter- 
ally fulfilled that are here spoken of ; 
that I will leave for you to hunt up 
for yourselves. But the promises 
xnade to that man of Gk)d have been 
literally fulfilled, even to the present 
day to the coming forth of this work 
with which we are associated. 

Now, that was a peculiar dispen- 
sation ; it was under the dispensation 
that was introduced, say by Noah, or 
the one that he was, I was going to 
say, founder of; he was not the 
founder of it, but he was the one 
preserved by the Almighty from the 
wreck of the world, in which he had 
lived for upwards of 600 years to 
introduce it. And Abraham was 
one of the prominent actors in oper- 
ating and carrying out the purposes of 
God iu that dispensation, and there 
-were a great many others too that 
were in possession of the same kind 
of intelligence; but he was one of 
the most prominent, therefore I 
have referred more particularly to 
him. 

Then, there was another dispen- 
sation followed, called the Mosaic 
dispensation. Moses was made use 
of as an instrument to deliver the 
children of Israel from Egyptian 
bonda^>e. It had been predicted 
that the descendants of Israel should 
go into bondage and be confined 
there for 400 years, and that they 
should be delivered by the power of 
God. And Moses was the man 
chosen of the Lord to perform that 
work ; and he was indebted to the 
Lord for the instruction and the in- 
telhgence he received. We read in 
the Bible that on a certain occasion 
he saw a burning bush, and the bush, 
we learn, was not consumed ; and 
on going towards it he heard the 
voice of the Lord speaking unto him, 
teUing him to take his shoes from 
off his feet, for the place whereon he 
stood was holy ground. He did as 



he was commanded. The Lord then 
told him that he had a work for hhn 
to perform, which was that he sliould 
go down to Egypt where he had been 
reared from his youth, and where he 
had been taught according to the 
learning of the Eg3/ptians to deliver 
this people Israel out of their bond- 
age. You that are acquainted with 
your Bible know the history of it. 
The account is lengthy and I shall 
not attempt to enter into it. Suffice 
it to say, he succeeded in delivering 
the children of Israel from Egyptian 
bondage. He had the power, when 
his people reached the Red Sea, to 
smite the sea and cause the waters 
to divide, thereby making a way of 
escape from their pursuers, the 
Egyptians. He lead them into the 
wilderness where they had to depend 
entirely upon the mercies of God for 
their sustenance. But having been 
in bondage for so long a time it was 
difficult for them to comprehend 
many things that were communi- 
cated to them ; and, we are told, 
they began to long for the leeks and 
the onions. We, in our day, would 
think that their taste was not so 
very delicate ; but that was their 
desire, many of them feeling that 
they would rather go back to Egypt 
than to suffer the trials that seemed 
to await them. And the Lord mani- 
fested himself to them in many 
marvelous ways^ and Moses who was 
their leader and who had beai 
especially appointed by the Lord, 
went up to the mount, and the Lord 
gave unto him certain command- 
ments wljiich he wrote with his own 
finger, upon tables of stone whidi 
were prepared for that purpose. 
Moses was away from the people f(ff 
some time conversing with and re- 
ceiving communications from the 
Almighty, and when he came down 
he found that the people whom he 
had led out of Egypt and to whom 



THS 6RBAT FKINCIFLES OF TRUTH, ETC. 



247 



the manifestationH of the Lord had 
been shown, had made a golden 
calf and were worshipping itT— about 
the same as we do sometimes, and 
we profess to be a much more 
enlightened people than they were 
— and they said, "These be thy 
gods, Israel, which brought thee 
out of the land of Egypt." On see- 
ing this Avickedness on the part of 
his people he became angry, and he 
threw the tables of stone to the 
ground and broke them. After- 
wards other stones were prepared 
and the same laws written on them. 
And the Lord was desirous that 
they as a people should be faitliful 
in the observance of his laws, that 
they should be governed by the 
principles of the Gospel which Moses 
taught them. This is a singular 
idea to some people ; they think 
there was no Gospel until Jesus 
came. Well, we cannot help that, 
but Paul understood it better. He 
tells us that Moses preached the 
Gospel to them in the wilderness, 
hut the word preached did not pro- 
fit them, etc., wherefore the law was 
added because of transgression. 
Added to what? To the Gospel. 
Paul understood this if men in this 
agedonot. And Moses did himself get 
into the presence of God, and he 
also led seventy elders who were so 
mstructed and prepared that they 
could go into the presence of God to 
communicate with him ; but the 
people were afraid of God, and when 
the Lord appeared to them on 
Mount Sinai, when they heard the 
thunders and saw the lightning and 
felt the mountain quake, they said 
to Moses, do not let the Lord speak 
to us any more lest we his people 
die ; but do thou speak to us and be 
mouthpiece. They were not pre- 
pared to come into the presence of 
the Lord ; they were not sufficieutly 
pure, neither did they understand 



the laws and principles which Ged 
had communicated. But they mur- 
mured and murmured and that 
continually — the same as we do, 
we see something of the same spirit, 
we are found sometimes murmuring 
against God, or at least against some 
of the revelations he has given unto 
us, or against the priesthood, and in 
many instances without cause. And 
what had God done for them 1 He 
brought them out from the midst of 
Egypt, from a state of servitude and 
vassalage, and delivered them from 
the hands of their oppressors, and 
when the Egyptians pursued them, 
he opened the waters of the Eed 
Sea and let them pass through in 
safety ; but swallowed up their 
enemies who pursued them. Then 
when they were short of food he 
supplied them with angel's food, 
manna. That was all the harm he 
had done to them — just about as 
much as many others who murmur. 
They murmured against God for 
bringing them away, and against 
Moses for being the instrument in 
doing it. Whereas God was trying 
to fulflll the promises he had made 
with Abraham, their father ; and he 
was making use of Moses as his in- 
strument to deliver the people from 
that bondage with which they had 
been oppressed for so long a time ; 
but because of their transgressions, 
their wickedness and their rebellious- 
ness, the law was added or given 
unto them, which was a law of car- 
nal commandments and ordinances, 
of which a later writer in speaking 
of it says, "neither we nor our 
fathers were able to bear." 

Well, he placed them in another 
position, and gave unto them the 
Gospel, but as they could not endure 
the greater light he gave them a 
lesser light in the form of a law of 
carnal commandments and ordi- 
nances. Hence that dispensation is 



ns 



JOURKAX OF DISCOURSES. 



therefore called the Mosaic dispensa- 
tion ; and Moses was the instrument 
made use of by the Ahnighty to in- 
troduce it, and it was revealed to 
him upon the mountain. And that 
. law of carnal commandments and 
ordinances seemed to suit them a 
little better than the Gospel ; they 
loved these carnal commandments 
better than the light, the truth, the 
revelation and spirit that was asso- 
ciated with the Gospel. And they 
could not come into the presence of 
God. If you remember, certain 
men at one time went running to 
Moses to complain of certain other 
men whom they said were prophesy- 
ing ; and Moses said to them, would 
to God that all the Lord's people 
were prophets : would to God that 
all could be inspired with that spirit 
of revelation that floM's from him. 
Says the Prophet Joel, in speaking 
of the glory of the latter-day, "And 
it shall come to pass afterward, that 
I will pour out my spirit upon all 
flesh ; and^ your sons and your 
daughters shall prophesy, your old 
men shall dream dreams ; your 
young men shall see visions ; and 
upon the servants and the hand- 
maids in those days will I pour out 
my spirit," etc. Now, they had a 
dispensation then called the Mosaic 
dispensation ; and associated with 
that was a sprinkling of the Gospel. 
Once in a while the Tight of the day 
star would dawn upon the people, 
foretelling some things in which 
they and their children were interest- 
ed ; and that was manifest through 
certain men among them who were 
peculiarly inspired by God. But 
they did not have then a regularly 
ordained organization of the Mel- 
ehisedec Priesthood as we have it. 
If a man received these things in 
those days he received it from God. 
A young man came to me to ask me 
tome questions on this subject, and 



I will here mention one thing I told 
him. These prophets had the Mel- 
chizedec Priesthood, but they did 
not have it in the regular organized 
form as we have it. Hence when 
Elijah was about to be translated — 
for that spirit and power was yet 
with him ; it had not left the earth 
after Enoch's day, for many were 
translated besides him and his city 
— there were certain prophets scat- 
tered up and down among Israel, 
and as Elijah and Elisha were 
travelling together, Elijah said to 
Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee, for 
the Lord hath sent me to Bethel 
But Elisha said as the Lord liveth, 
and as thy soul liveth, I will not 
leave thee. And they went on to- 
gether. And at Bethel the sons of 
the prophets at that place came 
forth unto Elisha, and said unto him, 
Knowest thou that the Lord will 
take away thy master from thy head 
to-day ? And he answered. Yea, I 
know it ; hold ye your peace. At 
this place Elijah wanted Elisha to 
tarry, saying that the Lord had sent 
him to a place called Jericho ; but 
Elisha made the same answer. 
Elijah at this place made the same 
request of his companion, saying the 
Lord had sent him on to Jordan; 
but Elisha would not be separated 
from his master. And they went 
on to Jordan together ; and when 
they came to that stream, Elijah 
took off his mantle, wrapped it to- 
gether and smote the water which 
divided, so that they went over on 
dry ground. And when they had 
passed over, Elijah asked Elisha 
what he could do for him before he 
should be taken away. Elisha, 
knowing that he had something to 
do and that he was about to be left 
alone, and that he might be the 
better prepai'ed to perform the work 
before hun, requested Elijah to 
let a double portion of his spirit rest 



THE ORBAT PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH, ETC. 



249 



upon him. Bat could £fi|fth giant 
Ms request? No, he could not. 
What answer did Elijcdi make himl 
He said, thou hast aciked a hard 
thing; nevertheless, if thou seest me 
when I am taken from thee, it shall 
he so unto thee ; hut if not it shall 
not he so. How did Elijah know 
that? Because he knew that the 
Melchizedec Priesthood holds the 
keys of the mysteries and the reve- 
lations of God ; and that if he could 
see him as he ascended, it would he 
an evidence to him that the Lord 
had granted his request, although 
he himself had not power to grant 
it, Elisha would then know that his 
prayer was heard. Those other pro- 
phets, who knew that Elijah was to 
he translated, went and stood to 
view the event afar off; I do not 
suppose that they saw anything»of 
Elijah as he was being taken up into 
heaven. But'he was taken up, and 
Elisha saw the manner in which he 
went, and cried out, " My father ! 
my father ! the chariot of Israel and 
the horsemen thereof." And how 
did he see them 1 God had confer- 
red upon him that priesthood by 
which he was enabled to see them. 
Elijah threw down his mantle as he 
ascended, which Elisha took up and 
started off alone, his "head" having 
been translated. But he had re- 
ceived the answer to his prayer; and 
approaching the banks of the Jor- 
dan, with the mantle that had been 
left him he smote the waters saying, 
"Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" 
And when he did so they parted as 
they had done at the command of 
Elijah, and Elisha passed over. 
And God was with him, manifesting 
his power through him, as he had 
done through his predecessor. I 
speak of this as a certain principle 
and I speak of it now for the infor- 
mation of you elders, that they did 
not have then an organized Mel- 
chisedec Priesthood, but that if it | 



was conferred upon individuals, thav 
did not have the power to confer it 
upon others, unless through special 
command of the Lord. And Elijah 
knew that if Elisha could see him 
when he was ascending, that his 
prayer would be answered. Why i 
Because the Melchizedec Priesthood 
holds the keys of the mysteries and 
the revelations of God. 

This is a principle on that point; 
and it may be of use to you elders^ 
that you may comprehend the posi- 
tion, that they occupied. That was 
associated in part with the Mosaic 
dispensation, but only in part. But 
when Jesus came he introduced the 
Melchisedec priesthood in an organ- 
ized form, and restored the Gospel. 
But those men did not restore the 
Gospel. But let me show you 
that are acquainted with the history 
of the Book of Mormon, they had a 
great many more revelations in re- 
gard to these things upon this conti- 
nent than they had upon the conti- 
nent of Asia. And they had the 
Gospel and administered in the ordi- 
nances and talked about the coming 
of Christ, still they administered in 
the laws of Moses until the coming 
of Christ ; and yet at the same time 
they did have the Gospel and an or- 
ganization of that Gospel in part 
and ordinances among them differ- 
ent from what they had on the other 
continent before Christ came. You 
that are acquainted with the Book 
of Mormon will find these things in 
it; and if you have not found them, 
hunt them up, and you will find 
what I say in relation to this matter 
is true. 

Very well. W^hen Jesus came he 
had been looked forward to by all 
the prophets since the world was, 
and it had been prophesied about 
him that he would come to redeem 
the world and offer himself as a sac- 
rifice, as an atonement for the sins 
of the world, of which there wer^ 



250 



JOURNAL or DIS00T7BSES. 



nuuiy shadows and types. I will re- 
fer back again to Moses, and then I 
will refer to the sacrament. Moses, 
as I stated, had the Gospel when he 
went among'the children of Israel. 
There were many signs and won- 
ders poured out among them and 
many calamities overtook the 
Egyptians. And Moses went from 
time to time into the presence of 
Pharaoh telling him what should 
take place, and among the rest he 
said that if they did not let Israel go 
the first bom of the Egyptians 
should be slain. And he told the 
people that dwelt iu the land Go- 
shen — the children of Israel — that 
they were to kill a lamb and sprinkle 
the blood of the lamb uix)n their 
door posts, and that when the de- 
stroying angels passed through, their 
children should escape death. And 
it happened precisely as had been 
told them — ^^vhile the first-born of 
the Egyptians was destroyed, the 
children of the Hebrews were pre- 
served. Now, that was called the 
passover among the children of 
Israel, and it was continued among 
them year after year, and the day 
on which it was kept was called the 
day of the Passover. 

When Jesus was upon the earth 
he sent his disciples to go and pre- 
pare a place that they might hold 
ike passover together. *'And as they 
were eating, Jesus took bread, and 
blessed it. and brake it, and gave it 
to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; 
this is my body. And he took the 
cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to 
them, saying. Drink ve all of it; for 
this is my blood of the new testa- 
ment, which is shed for many for 
the remission of sins." What was 
it they were doing] It was partak- 
ing of the passover of the sprinkling 
of that blood which was typical ot* 
the shedding of the blood of the 
Lamb of God upon Calvary. And 



the breaking of that bread was typi- 
cal of his broken body. And ^ey 
offered in former times the blood of 
bullocks and of rams, goats, etc., as 
sacrifices. And all this, as Paul 
says, had reference unto the shed- 
ding of the blood of Christ; and 
was typical of that of which he 
was the great ante-type when he 
came to fulfil all these things. Yeiy 
well, what was that ) Did they have 
the passover then) Yes. They 
looked forward from that passover 
to the time when Christ should 
come and shed his blood to atone for 
the sins of the world. And we look 
back to the time when he did it, and 
we partake of this sacrameni; — this 
bread and water, which we use in- 
stead of wine — in commemoration, 
in token of what he has done for ns. 
A»d we are told by the apostles, that 
as often as we eat and drink of this, 
we show forth the Lord's death until 
he come again. And let me say to 
you Latter-day Saints, while we are 
doing this, there is something very 
important connected with it, and we 
ought to be careful that we do not 
partake of these emblems to our 
condemnation. Do you ever quarrel 
with your brethren, or act in such a 
way as to get up feelings, and per- 
haps speak harsh words one about 
another, and in other ways do that 
which is wrong, and then meet to- 
gether in solemn mockery before 
God and eat and drink condemnation 
to your souls'? We want to be careful 
about these things; and hence we 
should understand that when we 
bring our gift to the altar, and there 
remember that we have ought 
against our brother, we should 
first go and be reconciled to him 
and then come and offer our gift. 
Not come in any kind of hypocrisy, 
but come with clean hands and pure 
hearts and feel to say **0 God search 
j me and try me and prove me, and if 



THE GREAT FRINOIFLES OF TRtJTH, ETC. 



251 



there is any way of wickedness in 
me, let it depart, and let me be thy 
true representative upon the earth, 
and let me partake of the spirit that 
dwelleth in Christ, and live in the 
enjoyment of that upon the earth; 
that when he comes again I, with 
my brethren, may meet him with 
clean hands and pure hearts." And 
I would say to the teachers who go 
around to visit their brethren, when 
you find ill feeling of any kind, it is 
your duty to root it out, and to see 
that there is no hardness and no 
contention or strife among the peo- 
ple who come to participate in this 
sacred ordinance. 

Well, so far as the gospel is con- 
cerned, that dispensation was intro- 
duced to the world first by John 
the Baptist, who was the forerunner 
of Jesus. And when the Savior 
came John knew it, and on seeing 
him he exclaimed, '^Behold the 
Lamb of God that taketh away the 
sin of the world." And when peo- 
ple were flocking to John to be bap- 
tized of him, Jesus came also as a 
candidate for baptism. But John 
told him that he (John) had need to 
be baptized of him. But the Savior 
told him to suffer it to be so, then "to 
fulfil all righteousness." And he was 
baptized of him. Well, that dispen- 
sation continued for a long while 
after, and it began to decline and 
disappear; but there were a great 
many men in different parts who 
listened to the principles of the Gos- 
pel of the Son of God. . But by and 
by it began to fade away, both upon 
the Asiatic continent and upon this 
continent. It was prophesied that 
it would, and that there should a 
certain power arise who should seek 
to make war with the Saints of God 
and that it should overcome them ; 
and this power should seek to change 
times and seasons and things, and 
they should be given into his hands 



until a time and times and the di- 
viding of a time. These things 
were fulfilled — ^the Church of God 
fell into darkness and the priesthood 
was taken from them, and they had 
instead something in the form of a 
bogus priesthood and a bogus 
creed instead of the true principles 
which Jesus introduced among men. 
That was on the continent of Asia.^ 
On this continent they seemed th& 
same pretty much ; but they had an. 
unparelleled scene of prosperity and 
joy in the Gospel of the Son of God 
after he came; and it grew and 
spread and prevailed throughout the 
land. And as it was in their love 
for one another that no one said that 
ought he possessed was his own ; but 
they had all things common among 
them. We are told of these things 
more elaborately in some other places 
which might be introduced, but 
which I do not wish to enter into 
now. On this continent they re- 
mained in this condition for two hun- 
dred years; and they dealt justly one 
with another, and dwellt together in 
■peace. I wish we could do that al- 
ways. By and by they fell into 
darkness, and the result was, as re- 
corded in the Book of Mormon, to 
which I again refer you to read and 
investigate. 

Then what next? Were things to 
go on in that way for ever*? No ; the 
dispensation of the fullness of times 
has got to be restored to introduce 
all that has been spoken of by all 
the holy prophets since the world was» 
The Apostle John, when banished to 
the Isle of Patmos says that he saw 
another angel flying in the midst of 
heaven, having the everlasting^ Gos- 
pel to preach unto them that dwell 
on the earth, and to every nation^ 
and kindred, and tongue and people^. 
What do you mean? The same Gofr- 
pel that Adam had, the same Gospel 
that Seth had, the same Gospel that 



352 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



-Enoch had, the same Gosp«l that 
!Noah had, the same i Gospel that 
Abraham had, the same Gospel that 
Jesus had; the Gospel that brings 
life and immortality to light, and 
that places men in communion with 
their Heavenly Father — ^the ever- 
lasting Gospel. And who introduced 
HI God himself came to earth with 
his son Jesus and manifested him- 
:self to the prophet Joseph, and, 
pointing to his Son, said, "This is 
my beloved son in whom I am well 
pleased, hear him." Jesus from that 
hour was to be his instructor. What 
then? Then came Moroni, who had 
charge of the records of the people 
•on this continent, who came and de- 
livered them to Joseph Smith. 
What next"^ Then came John the 
Baptist and laid his hands upon his 
head and upon the head of Oliver 
Cowdery, and said. Upon you may 
fellow servants, I lay my hands and 
•confer upon you the Aaronic priest- 
hood, which shall never be removed 
again from the earth until the sons 
'Of Levi shall offer acceptable 
sacrifices to the Lord. Why 
did John come? Because he 
held the keys of that priesthood and 
was the last that held them in that 
•dispensation. And then Peter, 
James and John came and laid 
their hands upon his head and or- 
dained him to the office of the Mel- 
chisedec priesthood. Why*? Be- 
cause they had held that priesthood 
themselves and they were the ones 
that held the keys of that priesthood; 
and wlien they left, the keys of that 
priesthood were taken with them, 
and they came having it in their 
charge to confer it upon Joseph 
Smith. What else^ Then Elijah 
Appeared in the Temple at Kirtland 
and conferred upon them the bless- 
ings that were spoken of pertaining 
to him. "Behold, I will send you 
Elijah the prophet before the com- 



ing of the great and dreadful day of 
the Lord : and he shall turn the 
heart of the fathers to the chfiidfen, 
and the heart of the children to th^ 
fathers, lest I come and smite the 
earth with a curse." The prophet 
conferred upon him those keys; and 
hence we try to do these things* 
And people wonder why we are 
building our temples. It is that the 
hearts of the fathers may be turned 
to the children, and the hearts of 
the children to the Fathers. And 
if Jesus saw it necessary after being 
put to death in the flesh to go and 
preach to the spirits in prison that 
they might be judged according to 
men in the flesh, it was also neces- 
sary that provisions should be made 
for men who had died without 
the Gospel, without a knowledge 
of the principles of eternal truth, 
that we might be baptized for 
them, as the Scriptures say, accord- 
ing to the flesh, that they may 
live according to God in the spirit. 
Why is it you are so willing to build 
temples'? You w«uld squeeze your 
dollar in many other things, but 
when it comes to that you say, "I 
want to do it." And it is so through- 
out Israel. I suppose we have as 
many as five hundred men engaged 
in this work. And the brethren feel 
willing to do it. Why? Because you 
want to secure certain blessings for 
yourselves ; and, then, you want to 
look after your friends, that the 
hearts of the fathers may be turned 
to the children, etc. We are operat- 
ing upon the earth because we have 
the power; and they are operating in 
the heavens because they have the 
power; and as the Scripture says, 
they without us cannot be made 
perfect, neither we without them. 
And neither they nor we could oper- 
ate in these things unless those keys 
had been restored and things put in 
the position they are to-day. Then 



THE 6RBAT PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH, ETC. 



253^ 



we will build our temples, won't we] 
I think we will, and then administer 
in them. Were we to talk to the 
world about a great many of the 
things I have referred to to-day, we 
would have to bring up evidence to 
prove the truth of them. I am talk- 
ing to Latter-day Saints, however, 
to-day; and you ought to know of 
them, if you do not; and if you are 
not acquainted with them ''search the 
Scriptures for in them you think you 
have eternal life," and you will find 
all these things I have mentioned. 

Now, then, all of tliese dispensa- 
tions had to be restored. Tlien 
comes Moses. Why] because ■ he 
held the keys of the gathering dis- 
pensation : And he conferred upon 
Joseph. Smith the power to gather 
Israel from the four quarters of the 
earth, and also the ten tribes. But 
the latter have not Come yet ; but 
people are hunting them up, and 
they will be found by and by; when 
the time comes, and the mountains 
will flow down at their presence, 
and a highway will be cast up, and 
they wul come to a knowledge of 
the people. But they could not 
come without the restoration of the 
keys I have referred to. 

Now, here are all these diffeirent 
dispensations, and there is one I 
have not mentioned. We are told 
to build up Zion, shall we do it ) I 
tell you in the name of Israel's God 
we will do it with the help of the 
Almighty ; we cannot do it without, 
but with his help we will do it We 
will build up the Zion of our God, 
and help to roll on the work which 
God has commenced. And those 
children you saw here the other day, 
[referring to a general conference 
meeting of the children of Weber 
Stake] many of them will live to parti- 
cipate in these things. And we will 
endeaVer to train them in the fear 
of God that their tender hearts may 



be rooted in the principles of truth;, 
and they be led to acknowledge the^ 
God of their fathers. Having said 
so much I will pass on to something 
else. 

Here we are. We are organized 
under the direction of the Almighty, 
and as I before said, not according 
to our ideas and notions, but accord- 
ing to the word and will and revela- 
tions and law of God. And none of 
us can do anything only as God per- 
mits us. What are we going to do f 
We are going to build up Zion. 
What then] When Zion is built 
up — and it is not built up yet ; but 
it will be built up ; and when that 
is done Jerusalem that is spoken of 
shall be built — and we are a long 
way from that — ^but when that is 
built up and the glory of God shall 
rest upon it, upon every dwelling of 
Mount Zion as it did in former 
times — then we will build up our 
Zion after the pattern that God will 
show us, and we will be governed 
by his law and submit to his autho- 
rity and be governed by the* holy 
priesthood and by the word and wiU 
of God. And then when the time 
comes that these calamities we read 
of, shall overtake the earth, those 
that are prepared will have the 
power of translation, as they had m 
former times, and the city will be 
translated. And Zion that is on the 
earth will rise, and the Zion above^ 
will descend, as we are told, and we 
will meet and fall on each other's- 
necks and embrace and kiss each 
other. And thus the purposes of 
God to a certain extent will then be 
fulfilled. But there are a great 
many things to be brought about 
before that time. And we are here 
in an organized capacity trying t<> 
prepare ourselves for all the provi- 
dences of the Almighty. We ate 
trying to instil into the hearts of the 
people the priboiples of honesty^ 



254 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



truth and integrity, and remove cove- 
tousness and iniquity of every kind. 
Never mind the world nor what they 
can say or do, for they can only do 
what the Lord permits them. We 
will then continue to do as we have 
done only a great deal more abun- 
dantly. We will send out the Gos- 
pel to them, and continue to advo- 
cate the principles of truth, and to 
organize ourselves according to the 
order of God, and seek to be one — 
for if we are not one we are not the 
Lord's and never can be, worlds 
without end. Hear it, you Latter- 
day Saints ! And do not be figuring 
for yourselves and for your own 
aggrandizement ; but feel to say in 
your hearts, "What can I do to 
help to build up Zion. I am here, 
and everything that I have got is 
upon the altar, and I am prepared 
to do the will i©f God no matter 
what it may be,, or where it sends 
me, to the ends of the earth or not." 
But we are not doing that yet ; we 
are too much after our own affairs 
and drinking into the spirit of the 
world, and yielding and catering to 
that feeling and influence. Now, 
while we wish the world well and 
would desire to promote their happi- 
ness, we cannot be governed by 
their practices nor be under their 
influences. God is the Lord our 
God ; he is to be our king and law- 
giver, and he must rule over us. 
We must not permit ourselves to 
conform to the ideas, notions, dog- 
mas, theories nor the wickedness 
that exists in the world, and of 
which there is too much already 
among us. But to the contrary, 
battle against these evils, continuing 
the warfare until we purge them 
from us, and call upon the Lord to 
assist us, and to lead us in the paths 
of life, and to enable us to compre- 
hend to some degree the position we 
occupy to him, and the magnitude 



of that priesthood that has been con- 
ferred upon us. 

What will you do with the worldl 
I was talking with a gentleman 
lately who thought because of cer- 
tain inimical legiBlation that had 
been manifested towards us, that we 
should feel at enmity against our 
government. I told him that he 
was laboring under a very great 
mistake ; that there was not a more 
loyal, patriotic feeling fpeople in the 
United States than the Latter-day 
Saints are. But have they not done 
so and so to you? Yes, but the Lord 
has guided us, and we can put our 
trust in him and wait his time. We 
are not in a hurry ; he will bring 
things about in his own way, and 
will abundantly fulfil the words of 
the Psalmist — " Surely the wrath of 
man shall praise thee, the remainder 
of wrath shalt thou restrain." Some 
men seem to think that we are going 
to be swallowed up ; but we are not 
very much alaimed about it. We 
have been " swallowed up" a great 
many times, but they have generally 
managed to vomit us up again. 
[Laughter.] Among the legislators 
of our nation and throughout the 
land, there are many high-minded, 
honorable men, who desire to see all 
men protected in their rights, but 
because there are a great many who 
are not and who feel otherwise, and 
who do not understand us, should 
we entertain feeUngs of enmity? 
What was the message that Jesus 
came to perform 1 *' Go ye into all 
the world and preach the Gospel to 
every creature ; he that believeth 
and is baptized shall be saved," etc. 
What have we been told to do? 
To go into all the world and preach 
the Gospel to every creature ; he 
that believeth and is baptized shall 
be saved he that believeth not shall 
be damned. We go and offer the 
message of life and salvation. How 



THE GRBAT PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH, ETC. 



255 



many of the^e grey-headed men 
wbom I see around me to-day that 
have travelled thousands of miles in 
order to promote the welfare of the 
human family. I have travelled 
hundreds of thousands of miles my- 
self. And did he ever forsake me 1 
Never; he viras always true to his 
word. And when you elders have 
gone forth he has been true to you. 
And when people have believed, re- 
pented and obeyed the message you 
bore to them, and you laid your 
hands upon them to confirm them 
members in this Church, and said, 
" Receive ye the Holy Ghost ; they 
received it. Is not that proof that 
God has been with youl Yes, it 
is. Will he not be with us to the 
end? Yes. What is our message 
to the people 1 Peace on earth and 
good will to man, and seek to pro- 
mote the welfare and happiness of 
the human family, in every possible 
way that we can. And we ought 
to feel to endure as Jesus did the 
contumely of sinners until the Lord 
shall say : " Stop it is enough." 
They will have hard enough times 
of it. Do we need to seek or injure 
anybody] No. Is that our mission] 
No ; but to seek to promote the wel- 
fare of all men. 

Well, we are here iu a political 
capacity as well. We are an integral 
pajt of the United States — a very 
small part What shaU we dol 
Why live so that no man can bring 
any reproach against us ; treat all 
men light, deal honestly with one 
another, and with all men, and be 
true to GoTi-and your religion. If 
we do this then we have a claim 
upon God ; then we shall be blessed 
of the Lord and our offspring with 
us; then the Almighty will smile 
upon us, and then we shall advance 
from wisdom to wisdom, frotn intelli- 
gence to intelligence and knowledge to 
knowledge, until we shall see as we 



are seen and know as we are known. 
And we wiU go on performing the 
work God has placed upon us ; and 
we will continue to teach and in- 
struct and educate and elevate our 
children ; and also teach all men who 
will be taught by us, the principles 
of life ; and by and by God will work 
with us in a more powerful manner 
than he has done yet ; and thousands 
upon thousands will flock to the 
standard of Zion, and many will 
come and say, "we do not know much 
about your religion, but you are an 
honorable people and exceute justice 
and we want to be governed by 
those principles and be under their 
influence ; and if we cannot endorse 
your religious views, we seek your 
protection and want to be one with 
you." You will find hundreds and 
thousands of people will yet come in 
this way, and many are pretty near 
it now. But we are not prepared ; 
we sometimes pull and haul, and 
talk and get hard feelings and seek 
to tear in pieces and destroy, and 
carry out our own ideas and will. I 
have no will of my own ; I do not 
want a will of my own ; I want to 
know the will of God, and then do 
it. Don't you] We ought to do it ; 
and let our own feelings and judg- 
ment be emerged in the will of 
God, and seek to carry out his pur-' 
poses. As seventies go torth and be 
ready to go to the ends of the earth 
at the drop of the hat, when re- 
quired to fulfil any mission that 
may devolve upon you, or that you 
may be called to, and consider this 
your mission of life, you seventies, 
do you hear it ] I tell you that this 
is the will of God concerning you, 
and not to consider how you can fix 
yourselves and make yourselves com- 
fortable; but attend to the other 
first, and be on hand to do that, and 
then it will be all right. 
May God help us to do right and 



256 



JOUBNAL OF DISC0UBSB8. 



keep his commandments, that we 
may have his spirit to be with 
us and live in the enjoyment of 



the same, and be saved in his 
kingdom, in the name of Jesus. 
Amen. 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT, 

DsLivEBiBD IN The Tabernacle, Salt Lakb City, Sunday Afternoon, 

June 13th, 1880. 



(Reported by John Irvine.) 



THE POWER OF GOD TO COMMUNICATE INTELLIGENCE — ^DIFFERENCE IN 
CAPACITY BETWEEN THE MORTAL AND THE IMMORTAL — THE FUTURB 
OF MAN, ETC. 



I shall endeavor to occupy a few 
moments of time, and perhaps I 
may. continue my remarks until it is 
time to close the meeting. I wish I 
enjoyed better health; I should then 
feel more like speaking. But as it 
is, I feel willing to exert myself as 
£Eur as possible, and also to bring my 
mind to bear upon the great subject 
of salvation, and the principles that 
pertain to eternal life and happiness 
in the world to come. It is difScult, 
sometimes, for a person who does 
not feel well in body, to concentrate 
his mind upon those subjects which 
will be edifying and instructive to 
the people. 

It gives me great joy and pleasure,, 
at all times, when I have the oppor- 
tunity to express myself in regard 
to the great and important woik, 
which our Father in heaven has 
seen proper to commence in our day. 
We have been made partakers, in a 
measure, of the spirit of the living 



God, pertaining to this last dispenser 
tion. This spirit, when received, 
and when we give it our attention, 
and bring our minds to bear upon 
the object of its operations, is calcu- 
lated to instruct and impart much 
information and knowledge to both 
male and female who are in the pos- 
session of it. The Spirit of God is a 
spirit of revelation. It always .was 
a spirit that revealed something to 
the human family, when manfind 
were in possession of it. There have 
been, however, many ages since the 
commencement of the world, when 
the children of men have so far 
wandered from the Almighty, so far 
departed ^m his ordinances and 
precepts, that the spirit of revelation 
has not had place within tkem. The 
world may be considered in a woeful 
state of darkness and unbelief, when-* 
ever this great and glorious gift is 
withdrawn from the children of 
men; for without this gift, without 



THE POWER OF GOD, ETC. 



.■^A 



2ST 



this spirit, without revelation from 
the Most High, it is utterly impossi- 
hle for the human family to be saved 
in the celestial kingdom of our Fa- 
ther and God. Perhaps some may 
think that this is a very broad state- 
ment. They will refer back to the 
last sixteen or seventeen centuries, 
and will say, that our fathers have 
not enjoyed the spirit of revelation, 
during that time, and if your state- 
ment, Mr. Pratt, be true, our fathers 
are not saved in the celestial king- 
dom of God. I do not say that our 
fathers will all be sent to an endless 
hell. I have made no such assertion. 
I do not say that they will receive 
no happiness, no glory, no reward in 
the world to come; I have made no 
such assertion j but understand my 
assertion, that if the world have not 
been in the possession of divine rev- 
elation directly to themselves, dur- 
ing this long period of time, then 
there have none of them been saved 
in the celestial kingdom of our Fa- 
ther and God. Now I hope that you 
have understood me. There is quite 
a difference between being saved in 
some kingdom, where there is some 
glory, some happiness, and being 
saved in the kingdom where our 
Father resides. There is only one 
way to obtain this kingdom — the 
kingdom that is represented, in its 
glory, by one of the most brilliant 
luminaries that shines in yonder 
heavens, namely, the sun. We are 
told by our Saviour that those who 
obey his commandments shall shine 
forth as the sun in the kingdom of 
our Father. The Apostle Paul in- 
forms us that there are in the eternal 
worlds many different kinds of glory. 
Tn the 15th chapter of his first epis- 
tle to the Corinthians, he says, that 
"there is on« glory of the sun, and 
another glory of the moon, and an- 
other glory of the stars; for one star 
differeth from another star in glory. 
No. 17. 



So also is the resurrection of the 
dead." They do not all rise to the 
same glory, nor to the same happii 
ness, nor to the same fulness, nor to 
the same kingdom ; but they arfed. 
from their graves, and come forth-^ 
those who are counted worthy of 
any kind of glory — ^to receive that 
which they are worthy of, all that 
they have lived for, and nothing 
more. 

Our Father who dwells in yondet 
heavens, and his Son Jesus Christ, 
inhabit the highest degree of glory 
in eternity. They are possessed of 
all the fullness of glory. They have 
a fullness of happiness, a fullness of 
power, a fullness of intelligence, 
light and truth, and they bear rule 
over all other kingdoms of inferior 
glory, of inferior happiness, and of 
inferior power. Their glory is like 
that of the sun, or at least, the sun 
being the most conspicuous body 
with which we are immediately ac- 
quainted, in regard to its glory, it is 
referred to as being typical of the 
highest degree of glory in the heav- 
ens. The Gospel is intended to exalt 
the children of men to that same 
degree of glory, where our Father 
and where his Son reside. Hence 
it is said by our Savior, just as he 
was taking leave of his apostles in 
ancient times, "Let not your heart 
be troubled ; ye believe in God, be- 
lieve also in me. In my Father's 
house are many mansions : if it were 
not so, I would have told you. I go 
to prepare a place for you. And if I 
go and prepare a place for you, I will 
come again and receive you unto 
myself; that where I am, there ye 
may be also." There is a mansion 
where he dwells. Where this man- 
sion is located in the midst of the 
vast surrounding ' space, has not 
been revealed to us. Itmayiiave' 
been revealed in former ages of the 
world, but to us, as Latter-day 

Vol. XXL 



358 



JOI7BN4L OF DISCOURSES. 



Saints, we have no revelation con- 
ceriiing its location. But there is a 
Ipcation, where these two glorious 
personages dwell. It has a location, 
just as much as our earth has a lo- 
cation in the solar system. But 
when I speak of our Father and our 
God being located in a glorious man- 
sion, or celestial world, I do not wish 
to 1 e understood that he is confined 
to til at location. Do not misappre- 
hend I the subject. He is not con- 
fined to that particular locality, in 
"the midst of universal space. He 
has power whicli we are not in pos- 
session of. He has power to waft 
himself from that pjirticular locality 
to other dominions, other worlds, 
other creations; and to do this with 
an inimence velocity. Of course, to 
accomplish this must occupy time. 
There are some, however, so foolish 
in their ideas that they suppose that 
it does not require time for the Al- 
mighty to go from world to world, 
or lor any celestial messenger to do 
ap. But this is a grand mistake. Time 
is included in aU motion. Time is 
included between the event of a 
teavenly being leaving the celestial 
abode, where he dwells, and going 
to some other abode at a distance. 
Bow great this time may be is not 
revealed; but I have an idea that it 
is much swifter than any velocity 
with which we are familiar; I mean 
the velocity with which our Father 
^d Grod can convey himself from 
ijhe celestial abode where he dwells 
tp some other kingdom. I believe it 
1^ be much swifter than that of the 
common light which shines from 
tiie heavenly bodies of our system, 
or . from the distant bodies of the 
slellar system. Now, light travels 
•v^th immence velocity — 185,000 
imles in one beat of the pulse, or in 
aliout one second of time. We might 
suppose that that is about as swift as 
a^y being would want to be wafted« 



But suppose that our Father, in the 
heavenly world where he dwells, 
^ould feel disposed to visit one of 
the vast dominions of his great cre- 
tion as far distant as the nearest 
fixed star. If he could go no faster 
than light is transmitted through 
space, it would take him three and 
a half years to perform the journey. 
And to go to one that was situated 
some ten or fifteen times further off, 
it would take, of course, ten or fif- 
teen tinces longer. And to go to 
some which are as far off from him 
as the distant creations that are just 
visible through our most powerful 
telescopes, it would take him six 
hundred thousand years to perform 
the journey, provided his velocity 
was only equal to that of light. I 
draw the conclusion, therefore, that 
God is not confined to the velocity 
of light, or to any other velocity 
with which we are accuainted — that 
he can go with immence velocity, 
perhaps thousands and hundreds of 
thousands of times swifter than that 
of light, if he feels disposed so to do. 
It is out of the question for us to 
suppose that God does not travel in 
going from creation to creation. That 
he could be momentarily and in- 
stantaneously in two creations at 
the same time is something that I 
never could comprehend, although 
it is believed in by some of the re- 
ligious professors of the present day. 
They believe that God, in his per- 
son, can be in infinite sp^ce all at the 
same moment That is not our doc- 
trine. It is not my doctrine, at 
least. He may be, by his power, by 
his intelligence, by his spirit, in in- 
finite space, working throughout all 
the vast dominions of space, accord- 
ing to laws he has ordained and in- 
stituted. 

Having said so much, in regard to 
the locality of our Heavenly Father, 
and of the celestial beings who dwell 



THE POWEE OF GOD, ETC 



259 



in the same abode, or in the same 
mansions \yhere he resides, let me 
now say a few words more in regard 
to his presence being everywhere. I 
cannot, for a moment suppose, and I 
do not believe that any intelligent 
being who exercises his intelligence, 
independently of tlie traditions of 
the children of men, can suppose, 
that a person can be everywhere 
present at the same instant. *'But," 
inquires one, ^^when a good man dies, 
passes out of this body of flesh and 
bones, it is said that he is in the pre- 
rence of God. Does this mean that 
he has actually gone from his taber- 
nacle, perhaps millions and millions 
and unnumbered millions of miles, 
to the abode or mansion where Jesus 
is, because he is in the precence of 
God I" No; I do not look at it in this 
way, I look at it in this light : if this 
world iu which we dwell had the 
vail withdrawn from off its face, and 
the vail taken away from our faces, J 
consider that we would see the Lord, 
however far distant he might be; 
hence we would be in his presence ; 
and on the other hand, those who 
dwell in his abode, however distant, 
can see us ; for there is no vail over 
lus face, no vail over the celestial 
abode of our Father and God, and 
there being no vail over him, nor 
over the beings that dwell in his 
abode, they can behold the most 
distant creations, which they have 
made. Now, this is my view. I do 
not say this is the view of the 
Latter-day Saints, but my own in- 
dividual views, in regard to these 
matters. If then we pass out of 
these bodies of ours, and the vail is 
taken away, we aa:e in his presence, 
ju9t as much as we would be if we 
were wafted to the mansion where 
he dwells: I have, no doubt, but 
what we will be wafted (if we are 
worthy) to that mansion, in due 
time; but I say, that we are in the 



presence of God, while our spirits are 
yet here upon the earth; because the 
vail is removed and our eyes can 
pierce eternity, and eternal things. 
Now, we have some examples of 
this, Latter-day Saints : and I some- 
times wonder, when we have such 
plain examples as are to be had in 
this book which I hold in my hand, 
(The Pearl of Great Price) I some- 
times wonder that people should be 
so limited in their ideas and in their 
views, concerning the future state of 
man (I mean the glorified man), as 
to suppose that he will be confined 
in his vision to some particular lo- 
cality, and that he will be something 
similar to what we are here in this 
mortal life. Now, even mortal men, 
before they obtained immortality, 
have enjoyed this spirit of seeing 
things that were naturally supposed 
to be utterly impossible. Who that 
is acquainted with this book (the 
Pearl of Great Price) has not read 
with great and deep interest, the 
words of that great man, Moses, be- 
fore he was sent down t© Egypt to 
redeem the Israelites 1 Who is there 
among the readers of the Latter-day 
Saints who cannot comprehend, in 
some measure, how the vision of 
that man was enlarged, while he 
was yet here in a state of mortality] 
He went up into the Mount to pray 
to the Lord. The veil was removed. 
The glory of God rested upon Moses^ 
and great and important things were 
made manifest to him. All things 
were not revealed; for he was inca- 
pable of receiving all things while 
yet a mortal being; But the Lord 
saw proper to reveal some things ; 
and Moses sought to kuow^ome other 
things, but the Lord would not grant it 
and told him that no man could behold 
all his works, except he beheld all 
his glory; and no man could behold 
all his glory and afterwards remain 
in the flesh upon the earth ; that is, 



260 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



ill the state of mortality. But, said 
hfe, '* Moses, my sod, I will show un- 
to thee some of the works of mine 
hands. I will reveal unto you con- 
' cerning the heaven that is over your 
head, and this earth upon which 
you dwell." And as the Lord talked 
with Moses, the Spirit of God being 
upon him, his eyes were opened, the 
vail was taken away, and he saw the 
w^ole earth, not merely the surface 
of it, but the interior of it ; every 
particle of it was before the eyes of 
Moses. This, then, shows that there 
is within encir of these mortal taber- 
nacles a spirit, and this spirit, when 
lit up by the Holy Spirit from on 
high, has certain faculties and pow- 
ers, far beyond that which we are 
able to develop naturally here upon 
the earth. We cannot, by our own 
natural powers, discern one foot un- 
derneath the surface of the earth. 
We cannot discern through anything 
that is opaque in its nature — any- 
thing that will not admit the natural 
light to be transmitted through is 
substance. But still, we have the 
faculties within us; we have the 
power; there is merely an obstacle, 
or obstruction, in the way ; and 
when this obstruction is removed it 
shows the godlike powers that are 
planted within the tabernacles of 
men, by which they can behold and 
pierce those portions of creation that 
are not d^scemable by the natural 
man. This Moses obtained during 
the few moments that he was thus 
enwrapt in vision. He obtained 
more information in those few mo- 
ments than could be imparted in all 
the universities and colleges that 
ever existed, since the creation of 
the world to the present day. We 
mjay study the ponderous volumes 
that are published by the learned, 
and it takes a long time to grasp the 
information that some very learned 
men have- receivetl. But oh, how 



different is the method of receiving 
revelation, when it comes from the 
Most High ! In a moment, as it 
were, those faculties of ours that 
have been lying dormant ever since 
we were born into this world — those 
faculties which are enshrouded with 
the darkness of a fallen creation— 
those faculties, when once illumi- 
nated, when once touched by the fin- 
ger of the Almighty, can pierce the 
creations of the Almighty, so far as 
he permits us to behold. 

These things encourage me. I am 
in hopes, when I get to the other 
bide of the vail, that it will not be 
so difficult for me to understfiiid the 
different laws of science, and the 
different laws and branches of edu- 
cation, that are taught in this little 
creation of ours. I am in hopes 
that when my spirit shall launch 
forth 'Out of this mortal tabernacle, 
and go into the eternal M^orJd, that I 
shall not, at that time, require Lord 
Boss's great six feet telescope ; I am 
in hopes that I shnll not need any of 
the telescopes, or other instruments 
invented in the nineteenth century; 
but I am in hopes there will be a 
telescope prepared for me, by which 
I can see the vast creations of the 
Almighty, and comprehend, in a 
short period of time, more than 
could be unfolded to the children of 
mortality in a thousand 3'ears. 

I mention this in order to bring 
before the Latter-day Saints a prin- 
ciple which, I think, we should all, 
more or less, reflect upon. How en- 
couraging it is to think we are not 
always going to be bound down to 
this slow process of gaining know- 
ledge, and information, and >visdom, 
pertaining to the works of the Al- 
mighty ! How glorious it is also, to 
reflect upon the celestial host, who 
dwell in the fulness of celestial glory, 
where there is no vail, and where 
they have their bodies ; for some of 



THE POWER OF GOD, ETC. 



261 



ihem have been raised from tht^ 
grave to immortality, and are clothed 
upon \vitli,all the fuloesd of the at- 
tributes 0$ the Father. I eay, how 
glorious it is to reflect upon the 
heights and depths and lengths and 
breadths of knowledge that will then 
be unfolded to the children of men ! 
These things, as I said before, inspire 
my heart with joy. I do not confine 
my hopes to the volumes of works 
•on science, with which I may come 
in contact here in this world ; I do 
not confine my hopes to the slow 
process of advancing in knowledge 
and intelligence that the children of 
this world liave ; but I look forward 
to that higher school — that great 
university which will scope in bound- 
less and eternal space, that will scope 
in the most distant creations that 
we can imagine in the vast field of 
eternity, in which we will be able to 
comprehend those laws by which 
the various creations are governed ; 
not understand them as we now 
compreheiid some few laws, but un- 
derstand them in all their perfection 
and fulness, being like unto our Fa- 
ther and God, made like unto him, 
fashioned like unto his glorious body, 
and become indeed " sons of God." 
Shall I go still further and say Gods] 
Are we not the children of our Fa- 
ther] Will not the children ascend 
to the same height, to the same 
glory, to the same celestial world, 
,and to the same fullness of the at- 
tributes of their Father ] Are not 
our children, take them as a body, 
qualified to come up to all the per- 
fections and attributes of their fa- 
thers, who came on the earth before 
them] It seems to be a general law 
that children will grow up and pos 
*ess all of the perfections of their 
parents, provided that they take the 
necessary steps, and are favored with 
long life, and have the natural intel- 
ligence that i& common to man. If, 



then, this seems to be a natural law 
in regard, not only to man, but also 
to all animated creation — that the 
children come up and possess thp 
perfections of their fathers before 
them — may we not reason, by analo- 
gy, that our Father who begat us— r 
our Father who dwells in yondep: 
celestial world, intends to make us 
one with him, that we shall receive 
the same fulness with him, that w^ 
shall partake of light, and trutl)^ 
and knowledge, and advance froiopi 
grace to grace, as the revelation^ in 
the Book of Covenants state, untij 
we shall receive a fulness of a^l 
truth ] Then will not this make ua, 
in one sense of the word, sons of 
God] Will it not make us Godis 
also, according to the word of God % 
" But," inquires one, "how can two 
persons possess the same attributets 
without quarreling with each other ?' 
That is not the order of heaven. 
That is not the pure law that Go^ 
has ordained, that there shouM be 
quarrels with those that have tl>e 
same degree of intelligence ; but the 
law is that they shall become one, as 
^' I and my Father ar^ one, so that 
these my brethren may also become 
one in us as we are one." That is 
the law ; and if they are one there 
will be as much unity between hip 
children who are exalted to that higl^ 
condition in the celestial glory, a|3 
there is a unity and oneness between 
the Father and his only begotte^ 
Son. Have tiiey any quarrel? 
Have they any difiiculties ] Have 
they any difference of views ] Do^ 
one intend to carry on one govern- 
ment, and another a different kind 
of government] No; whatever i^ 
the will of the Father, is the will c^ 
the Son ; whatever the Father is pre- 
pared to do, throughout all his vast 
dominions, the Son is in accord with 
him ; and whatever the Father de- 
sires to perform and accomplish, hjp 



262 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



children Avho are made like him and 
one with them, will take hold and 
perform the same work, with all 
that Tinity and oneness which exist 
"between the Father and the Son. 
In the celestial glory they are made 
"equal in oneness, in power, in know- 
ledge, and in all perfections ; and the 
Lord their God is with them, and 
they are one with him, to carry on 
all his purposes, and will be one with 
him throughout all the future ages 
of eternity. 

I thought perhaps the time was 
expired ; but I will say a few more 
■words in regard to this great glory, 
this high destiny prepared for the 
sons of God. I told you that our 
process of gaining information would 
be very rapid — would be immense in 
its growth, and that we should have 
the faculties within us developed to 
the highest degree. But now let us 
for a few moments, look into this 
high state of perfection. When our 
faculties are thus developed, and 
when we have all the wisdom that I 
have been speaking of, that dwells 
in the bosom of celestial beings, in 
the eternal worlds, what will we do 
with this wisdom 1 Will we fold up 
eur arms, and remain throughout all 
the future ages of eternity, in per- 
fect indifference and laziness, with- 
out anything to accomplish or per- 
form ? No ; we will have works as- 
signed to us to perform in the eter- 
nal worlds, that will be proportionate 
to all the fulness of that glory and 
knowled.£:e which we are endowed 
with. Did the sons of God in ancient 
times, come forth and assist in the 
formation of this little creation of 
ours? Did they all shout for joy 
when the materials were brought to- 
gether, and when the foundations of 
the earth were laid 1 Did they all 
feel happy and sing a song of rejoic- 
ing, and with great joy ; did they 
look upon the works which they 



were performing ? Yes. Jesus was 
there — ^the First Bom of this great 
family of our Father in heaven. He 
had the superintendence of this crea^ 
tion. He had the power, because 
the power dwelt within him, to build 
this earth of ours, the same as you 
give to your superintendent power 
to build your temples, about which 
Brother Kich has 'been speaking. It 
is said that the worlds Were made 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. But 
do you suppose that he alone made 
themi No ; he had the sons and 
daughters of God with him. And 
there were prophets in those days, 
before our earth was made. They 
shouted for joy when they saw the 
neucleus of this creation formed. 
Why 1 Because they could look into 
the future, and by the spirit of pro- 
phecy, behold the designs and pur- 
poses of the great Jehovah in regard 
to the creation which they were then 
in the act of forming. Did they not 
understand that they would have the 
privilege of coming forth and people- 
ing this earth 1 Yes. Did they not 
understand that they were to pass 
through a probation on this earth, 
the same as we are now passing 
through, in order to prepare them 
for a still higher exaltation and glory, 
with immortal bodies of flesh and 
bones 1 Yes ; they understood these 
things, hence their joy, when they 
saw the creation being formed for 
them. I mention this, in order to 
show to the Latter-day Saints that 
the great work that will be entrusted 
to those who are prepared, "wdll be 
proportionate to the wisdom, intelli- 
gence and understanding that wiH 
be imparted to those who enter into 
the fulness of the glory of the celes- 
tial kingdom. They will not re- 
main in idleness to all eternity. They 
will iiave a work to perform. They 
will form worlds under the direction, 
no doubt, of those that may be ap- 



THE POWER OF QOD, BTO. 



263 



pointed to superintend works of 
such vast magnitude. Furthermore, 
when they have formed these worlds, 
they will set them in motion in the 
midst of universal space, in some 
location, where they can continue 
their mission, and where all neces- 
sary things shall be fulfilled and 
accomplished during the days of the 
probation of these various creations. 
There will be laws given to govern 
these new creations, the same as 
there are laws given to govern 
the creations with which we 
are surrounded. The inhabitants 
upon these creations will be visited 
from time to time by those that 
have taken part in the great work of 
their formation. The inhabitants 
thereof will be dealt with according 
to law. They will be intelligent 
beings. They will have their agen- 
cy, and they will pass through their 
probation the same as the people are 
now passing through their probations 
here in this world. Everything will 
be accomplished according to laws 
that shall be ordained when these 
creations are made. Will they visit 



these creations ) Yes; for they will 
have the same power of locomotion, 
the same power to pass through 
space (almost in the twinkling of an 
eye) that our Father has — that his 
Son Jesus Christ has — that all celes- 
tial beings who are exalted in his 
presence have, and possessing the 
power, they will visit from creation 
to creation ; they will impart know- 
ledge and understanding to their 
children in these creations. They 
will visit them with the light of 
their countenances, and the children 
of these creations will be made .tjlad 
in their hour, in their times, and in 
their seasons, by the light and coun- 
teiianecs of the celestial beings who, 
from time to time, organized them. 
These are the high destinies that 
await the Latter-clay Saints, if they 
are faithful. These are the high 
destinies into which many of the 
Former-day Saints have already 
entered. These are the great, and 
choice, and exalted blessings in store 
for all who will keep the command- 
ments of our Father and Grod. 
Amen. 



:3§* 



JOURNAL OK DISCOURSES. 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER GEO. Q. CANNON. 
Delivered at Hyde Park, Sunday Evening, November 2nd, 1879 

(Beporied by Geo, F. OU>hs.) 



NATURAL FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY — ^THE ISRAELITES AND THE 

GENTILES. 



I will read a portion of a revela- 
tion given through the Prophet Jo- 
seph Smith, previous to the organi- 
^tion of the Church, dated April, 
1829 : "Oliver Cowder, verily, verily, 
I sjiy unto you, that assuredly as the 
Lord liveth, who is your God and 
-your Redeemer, even so surely shall 
you receive a knowledge of whatso- 
ever things you shall ask in faith 
witli an honest heart, believing that 
you shall receive a knowledge con- 
cerning the engravings of old re- 
cords, which are ancient, which con- 
tain those parts of any Scripture of 
which have been spoken by the man- 
ifest-^iion of my Spiiit. Yea, behold 
I w'U tell you in your mind and in 
your heart, by the Holy Ghost, 
which shall come upon you, and 
which shall dwell in your heart. 



revelation ; behold, this is the spirit 
by which Moses brought the children 
of Israel through the Red Sea on dry 
ground." 

The point I wish to call your at- 
tention to is contained in the second 
and third verses of this revelation. 
The Latter-day Saints are in many 



not Latter-day Saints. We are apt 
to entertain views which are not very 
correct, and which may be the result 
of our traditions acd preconceived 
ideas. This is a peculiarity that per- 
tains to mankind generally, that 
whenever they deal with the things 
of God, or speak about thenl, or con- 
template them, and especially when 
they read the predictions made by 
the servants of God concerning fu- 
ture events, or events that may 
transpire right before their eyes, 
they are apt to get, sometimes, erro- 
neous ideas, or, at least, exaggerated 
ideas, in relation to them. The pro- 
phets have foretold the events that 
should take place in connection with 
this work. There is one prophecy 
that comes to my mind, recorded by 
Isaiah and Micah, respecting the 



Now, behold this is the * spirit Of' "btrilding of the house of God in the 



top of the mountains and the gather- 
ing of the people there, and the ob- 
ject for which they should gather, 
that they should come up and be 
taught of the Lord, etc. Now it 
might be supposed that when that 
prediction would be fulfilled it would 
be so prominent and remarkable in 



respects like other people who are I the midst of the nations of the earth, 



NATURAL FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY, ETC. 



265 



that all the iuhabitauts thereof who 
fihould witness it would say, " This 
is the fulfillment of the predictions 
of Isaiah and Micah." And it might 
be thought that all the inhabitants 
of the earth who witnessed it would 
be convinced of the truth of it, and 
would say, " We have no further 
opposition to this work, because we 
behold the fulfillment of the predic- 
tions of those holy prophets whom 
we have been taught to regard, and 
whose writings we have read as au- 
thority from God. 

And, doubtless, there are many of 
the Latter-day Saints who have 
thought, in the early days of their 
experience in this Church, when they 
have lieard the elders predict con- 
cerning the great events that should 
take place in connection with this 
work — they have thought and felt 
in their hearts that when the wicked 
and those who oppose this work 
shouM see the fulfillment of these 
predictions they would be constrained 
to acknowledge that this is the work 
of God, and would cease from hosti- 
lity and opposition, and would say 
they had been mistaken. For in- 
stance, the elders in the early days 
of this Church, predicted concerning 
calamities and wars and troubles of 
various kinds that would come upon 
the inhabitants of the earth. There 
was a revelation given to the Pro- 
phet Joseph Smithy in December, 
1832, concerning the war that should 
take place between the Southern 
States and the Northern States. 
This was a definite prediction, stat- 
ing the exact point where a certain 
trouble or rebellion or division in 
the nation should take place. Most 
of us who have been brought up in 
the Church knew about this revela 
tion from early days. It has been 
published so that all the members of 
the Church, and the world also, 
could have it, and it was but reason- 



able to expect that so definite a pro- 
phecy as this, which stated the exact 
character of the difficulty that should 
take place between the south and 
the north, and that also stated with 
such definiteness the exact point 
where the division should occur — ^I 
say it was but reasonable to expect 
that when it should be fulfilled, it 
would have the effect of convincing 
unbelievers of the truth of the mis- 
sion of Joseph Smith, and that he 
really was a man inspired of the 
Lord to speak the word of God to 
the people. 

In 18 GO, Brothers Orson Pratt, 
Erastus Snow, myself, and others, 
were going on missions, and we ar- 
rived at Omaha in the month of 
November of that year. A deputa- 
tion of the leading citizens of that 
city came to our camp and tendered 
to us the use of the Court House, as 
they wished to hear our principles. 
The in\4tation was accepted, and 
Elder Pratt preached to them. Du- 
ring the service, there was read the 
revelation to which I have rei erred 
— the revelation concerning the divi- 
sion between the South and the 
North. The reason probably, for 
reading it was that when we reached 
Omaha, the news came that trouble 
was alreading brewing, and several 
States were threatening to secede 
from the Union. Its reading made 
considerable impression upon the 
peoi^le. A good many had never 
heard of it before, and quite a num- 
ber were struck with the remarkable 
character of the prophecy. It might 
have been expected, naturally speak- 
ing and looking at it as men natural- 
ly do, that the reading of such a 
revelation, at such a time, when the 
crisis was approaching, would have 
had the effect to direct men's atten- 
tion to it, and they would be led to 
investigate its truth and the doc- 
trines of the Church and the found- 



266 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



ation we had for our belief. But if 
there were any converted in that 
audience I am not aware of it. Good 
seed was sown, but we did not re- 
main to see what effect it produced. 
The revelation being so remarkable, 
and the events then transpiring being 
so corroborative of its truth, one 
might naturally think, as there were 
present on that occasion the leading 
and thinking portion of that commu- 
nity, that a great number would 
have been impressed with the pro- 
bability of its truth, and would have 
investigated and joined the Church. 
You doubtless remember it was for 
a good while doubtful whether the 
rebellion should commence at South 
Carolina or not. I was in England 
at the time, and was engaged in 
publishing the Millennial Star, and 
took a great deal of notice of the 
American papers, and I well remem- 
ber that to all human appearances it 
seemed for a while as though the 
trouble would break out at Fort 
Pickens, Florida. But the word of 
God had been spoken concerning that 
event, and consequently it had to be 
fulfilled as predicted, and the war 
did commence at South Carolina. It 
was fulfilled, as you all know, to the 
very letter. Fort Sumter being the 
place where the rebellion broke out. 
Now, I allude to that, in connec- 
tion with this subject, to show you 
that not only is the world mistaken 
in its views respecting the fulfill- 
ment of the predictions of the pro- 
phets, but even Latter-day Saints 
have doubtless, in many instances, 
entertained erroneous views respect- 
ing the fulfillment of revelation and 
prophecies of the Bible. I have no 
doubt there are many here to-night, 
who have had some experience in 
this, and can look back at times in 
their own lives, when they have 
thought : "Surely when these things 
which the prophets have foretold 



are brought to pass, the people will 
be convinced. My friends who now 
ridicule me will then be convinced, 
and they will be forced to confess that 
I did right in embracing the Gospel." 

No doubt there are some in this 
audience to-night who have had these 
ideas, and certainly there are good 
reasons for entertaining them. But 
experience has taught us that, while 
there may be a few who, when they 
have seen the predictions fulfilled, 
have acknowledged that our course 
is right, in the majority of cases 
throughout the earth where the Gos- 
pel has been preached, the fulfillment 
of the predictions of the prophets 
has not had the effect to convince 
the people of the truth of the mini- 
stry God has given unto us. 

Even with this experience in the 
past, the Latter-day Saints them- 
selves are not entirely divested of 
extravagant views respecting the 
effects which are likely to follow the 
fulfillment of predictions yet in the 
future. Are we not all inclined to 
look forward to many events which 
have been predicted by the servants 
of God as being of so great and won- 
derful, and I may say so supernatu- 
ral a character, that when they shall 
be fulfilled they will even startle us, 
who believe they are coming, and 
will compel the unbelieving inhabi- 
tants of the earth to accept them as 
evidences of the truth? In our 
thoughts this seems to be the natu- 
ral tendency. I notice it in myself; 
I notice it in others. When we 
read respecting the great events 
which are to take place in connection 
with this work, as predicted in the 
Book of Doctrine and Covenants, 
are we not inclined to think that, 
surely, when these things shall come 
to pass all the earth, as well as our- 
selves, will be constrained to acknow- 
ledge this to be the work of Grod, 
and these events to be indeed those 



NATURAL FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY, ETC. 



267 



which have been predicted by the 
prophets ? 

Now I would not, for the world, 
say one word to lessen in the minds 
of my brethren snd sisters the im- 
portance of these events ; I would 
not say one word to weaken your 
proper expectations ; but my experi- 
ence has taught me that the Lord 
works in the midst of this people by 
natural mean's, and that the greatest 
events that have been spoken of by 
the holy prophets will come along so 
naturally as the consequence of cer- 
tain causes, that unless our eyes are 
enlightened by the Spirit of God, 
and the spirit of revelation rests 
us, we will fail to see that these are 
the events predicted by the holy 
prophets. 

I refer you again to that prophecy 
of Isaiah and Micah, respecting the 
gathering together of the Israel of 
Crod from the various nations to 
Zion. As we read of that in the 
Bible, we might think when that 
was fulfilled it would be done with 
such supernatural manifestations that 
the people would be constrained to 
acknowledge it was the work of God. 
Yet we see it every day. Our peo- 
ple are gathering, and men and wo- 
men who emigrate bear testimony to 
the friends they leave behind, in al- 
most the exact language that the 
prophets said they would, and yet it 
is not thought very extraordinary. 
Why is this ] Because it has come 
along so naturally. And so with 
the great events that will take place 
in the future ; they will come along 
in so natural a manner, the Lord will 
bring them to pass in such a way 
that they will not be accepted by the 
people, except by those who can 
comprehend the truth, as the fulfill- 
ment of the predictions of the pro- 
phets. It requires the Spirit of God 
to enable men and women to under- 
stand the things of God ; it requires 



the Spirit of God to enable the peo- 
ple to comprehend the work of God 
and to perceive his movements and 
providences among the children of 
men. The man who is' destitute of 
the Spirit of God cannot comprehend 
the work of God. A woman whose 
mind has not been enlightend by 
that Spirit, cannot see or compre- 
hend any of these events that take 
place in fulfillment of the prophecies 
of the holy prophets. 

You take two persons, one who 
has the Spirit of God, whose mind 
is enlightened by that Spirit, — the 
spirit of revelation, the same spirit 
that rested upon the prophets who 
wrote the revelations and prophecies 
we have — you take a man of that 
kind, and then take another who 
has none of that spirit, and put the 
two together, and the one man's 
eyes will be open to see the hand of 
God in all these events ; he will no- 
tice his movements and his provi- 
dence in everything connected with 
his work and they will be testimo- 
nies to him to strengthen his faith 
and to furnish his mind with conti- 
nual reasons for giving thanks to 
and worshipping God; while the 
man, who has not the Spirit of God, 
will see noticing Godlike in the oc- 
currences : nothing which he will, 
view as supernatural (as many sup- 
pose everything which exhibits God's 
power to be), or nothing which he 
will accept as a fulfillment of prophe- 
cies; his eyes will be closed, his 
heart will be hardened, and to all 
the evidences of the divinity of these 
things he will be impenetrable. 

To those who have mingled with 
the world the reasons for this are 
very plain. Men do not believe in 
these days in the direct interposition 
of God in the affairs of men. If 
they even believe in God, they be- 
lieve that he governs the universe- 
by great natural laws. When, ther*^ 



sies 



JOIKNAL OK DISCOURSKS 



fore, a great aud wonderful event 
•occurs, they seek for its origin and 
explanation in some natural law. 
They ignore the fact that God works 
through natural laws ; but seem to 
think tiiat if he were to interpose at 
all, it would be by manifesting his 
jpower through the suspension of 
naturjd laws, by overriding and vio- 
lating them, and in such a super- 
natural manner that mankind would 
be compelled to acknowledge it was 
his act, as they would be utterly un- 
able to account for it by any laws 
known to them, or in any other way 
than as being through his power. 
Wars, famines, pestilences, cyclones, 
earthquakes, and the great variety 
of calamities which God has said 
shall be poured out upon the wicked 
nations, are therefore looked upon 
by men generally in these days as 
the results of certain well-defined 
and easily explained causes. When 
any of these calamities visit a city 
"or a nation they immediately com- 
mence to investignte the laws which 
govern them, and by the violation of 
which they assert tliey are produced ; 
and when they discover what they 
allege is the cause, they triumphant 
ly point to it, and that is sufficient 
proof that the Lord has nothing spe- 
•cial to do with it ; for if It were a 
visitation from him, it is supposed it 
would be so supernatural as to be in- 
explicable. And thus men go on, 
hardening their hearts and denying 
God's power, until they will be so 
-completely given over to the evil 
-one, that he will lead them captive 
according to his will. 

My reason for calling your atten- 
tion to the word of the Lord I have 
read to you is, that I have sometimes 
thought that our people do not ap- 
preciate as they should do the spirit 
of revelation, the spirit of prophecy, 
the power of God, that has been 
poured out upon us as a people. 



The fact seems to be overlooked that 
it was in the manner in which the 
Lord tells Oliver Cowdery that Mo- 
ses brought the children of Israel 
through the Red Sea ,on dry ground. 
The Lord said to Oliver : " I will 
tell you in your mind and in your 
heart, by the Holy Ghost, which 
shall come upon you, and which shall 
dwell in your heart. Now, behold, 
this is the spirit of revelation ; be- 
hold, this is the spirit by which 
Moses brought the children of Israel 
through the Bed Sea pn dry ground." 
How many of the Latter-day Saints 
are there who understand that this 
is the way in which Moses led the 
children of Israel so miraculously? 
How many are there who think that 
if we had a man like Moses among 
us, the people would be led differently 
and with greater manifestations of 
power than they are 1 How manv 
JVre there who are dissatisfied with 
what God is doing at present, and 
are looking for some one to appear 
in the future who shall exhibit con- 
vincing and overwhelming manifest- 
ations of power*? How many are 
there at the present time who are 
neglecting the precious and inestima- 
ble gift of revelation which God has 
bestowed upon his people, because it 
does not come to them in the way to 
suit their preconceived notions and 
ideas — or who are not suited with 
the way the Church has been and is 
led, because there is not that won- 
derful degree of power exhibited 
which they imagine should be ] 

Apostates have asserted that there 
was not the power in the leaders of 
the Church which there should be. 
They said so during the life of the 
Prophet Joseph, asserting that he 
was a fallen prophet. After his death 
they made the same statements re- 
specting President Young, his coun- 
selors, and the Twelve Apostles. 
And, if I am not mistaken, there are 



NATURAL FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY, ETC. 



26» 



some members of the Church who 
have appeared to think that there 
has been some power lacking, and 
have manifested a feeling of restless- 
ness, anticipating the rising of some 
one who should have greater autho- 
rity than at present exists. While I 
would not wish to detract from the 
reasonable expectations of my bre- 
thren and sisters upon this or any 
other point, my view is that the 
apostleship, now held in this Church, 
embodies all the authority bestowed 
by the Lord upon man in the flesh. 
Yet I believe that the power of Go«l 
will be increased among us, that we 
will have manifestationsof his power 
such as we never have before witnes- 
sed. For the day of God's power in 
the redemption of Zion will come. 
But I do not expect that to come 
upon us all of a sudden. I expect 
that it will be the natural result of 
the natural growth of thepeople in the 
things of God. I expect that we will 
go on step by step from one degree 
of knowledge, and of power, and 
of faith to another, until we shall be 
prepared to receive all the Lord has 
in store for us and be prepared to en- 
ter into that glory promised to the 
faithful Saints. The Lord has given 
unto his people and to his church 
every gift and every qualification 
and every key which is necessary to 
lead this people into the celestial 
kingdom of our father and our God. 
There is nothing wanting- When 
the Lord restored the Apostleship 
to the earth he restored all the 
power that was possible for a human 
being to hold in the flesh. When 
he restored the keys of the holy 
priesthood unto his servant Joseph, 
when he gave unto him the sealing 
powers, when he gave unto him the 
endowments and the keys of the 
holy priesthood associated therewith, 
when the Prophet Joseph received 
the keys from Elijah, and from all 



the prophets that had existed upon 
the earth from the beginning down 
— each one, as he says himself in 
one of his epistles — each one in his 
dispensation coming forward and 
bestowing upon him the authority 
pertaining thereto, there -was em- 
bodied in him all the priesthood they 
held, and he bestowed upon his 
fellow Apostles all the priesthood ho 
exercised and all the power and 
authority bestowed upon mortid man 
to exercise here upon the earth, so 
far as the present is concerned, that 
is, all the keys of the priesthood and 
everything that is necessary in this 
preparatory state, and to make man 
a fit subject for the celestial king- 
dom of God. By the command of 
the Lord he conferred that authority 
upon his fellew servants to bind 
upon earth and it should be bound in 
heaven, to seal the children to the 
father and the mother, and to seal 
the wife to the husband, and to weld 
all the links necessary in order to 
complete the salvation of all the 
children of men from the days of 
Adam down to our day, and also to 
prepare men and women for the fu- 
ture that lies before us, the millen- 
nium to which we are all hastening. 
Who can conceive of any power that 
was lacking! Who had power to 
promise unto man that they should 
be kings and priests unto God ? 
And in addition to that, who had the 
power- to seal upon them the actual 
kingly and priestly dignity and con- 
firm upon them the fulness of it, 
and also to give them promises re- 
specting the Godhead that should 
be fulfilled upon them, and if 
faithful, to come forth in the morn- 
ing of the first resurrection ? Now, 
there was nothing lacking, and 
there was no power, there was no 
gift, there was no authority, there 
were no keys lacking, and these keys 
have been handed down through ' 



270 



JOURNAL OF DISOOUKSES. 



him. Others may have claimed to 
have had them. We have had 
Strang, John E. Page, William 
Smith, Gladden Bishop, and a host 
of others ; each has claimed to have 
received that authority, either 
through Joseph Smith or from some 
other source. Some have claimed 
that Joseph was a fallen prophet ; 
and some have set up one claim and 
some another. But the fact remains 
that the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints, as it is organized 
in these mountains, has had the 
apostleship ; that the men who- have 
stood at our head. President Young 
and tlie Twelve Apostles, whose 
President at the death of the Pro- 
phet Joseph he was, actually received 
under the hands of the Prophet 
Joseph, every key, and power, and 
authority that he himself possessed, 
aiiid that they actually did take hold 
and complete the temple he started, 
and endowed their fellow servants 
therein with the same authority and 
the same priestly and kingly dignity 
that they had received from under 
his hands. And from that time to 
the present this work has gone forth 
with might and power, and the 
power of God has attended the labors 
of his servants who have been, sent 
forth by these apostles, chosen by 
revelation to take charge of this 
work ; everything they have done 
God has blessed. They have gath- 
ered the people together, they have 
led the people, they have been de- 
livered by the mighty j^ower of God 
when it seemed that thev would be 
overwhelmed by opposing influences. 
They have gathered the people toge- 
ther from the nations of the earth in 
fulfillment of the predictions of the 
holy prophets. Not only that, but 
they have laid the foundations of 
temj)les here ; one temple, at least, 
has been completed, while three 
others are in process of erection. 



which we hope will soon be com- 
pleted, into which buildings the 
Saints of God can enter and receive 
their endowments, receive their 
washings and anointings and sealings 
and ordinances, and have the keys 
of the holy priesthood bestowed upon 
them, which they can exercise in the 
right way for the building up of the 
work of God. And this is the work 
of God, although men may say there 
has been no supernatural manifesta- 
tion of power, such as some suppose 
ought to attend his work. This 
work has gone forth with a rapidity 
and impetus that has been irresista- 
ble, and there is no power able to 
stand against it. It has gone for- 
ward to the fulfilment of all that has 
been spoken thus far concerning it, 
that is as far as we have gone. And 
the people have received the Holy 
Ghost, they have been filled witli 
it, they have been filled with the 
spirit of revelation. The same 
spirit ot revelation that Moses had, 
concerning which God speaks through 
the Prophet Joseph Smith, has rest- 
ed upon men that have held the keys 
of this kingdom, whether it was du- 
ring President Young's life or at the 
present time_that same spirit of 
revelation rests upon him who holds 
the presidency as senior apostle in 
the midst of the people of God. The 
apostles of this Church have all the 
authority, tliey have all the keys, 
and it is within the purview of their 
office and calling to have all the spirit 
of revelation necessary to lead this 
people into the presence of the 
Lamb in the celestial kingdom of 
our God. 

I have desired to say this much, 
because I have felt at times there 
was a feeling among some people 
that there was not that manifesta- 
tion of power, neither was there that 
authority wielded by the men who 
preside over this Church and king- 



NATURAL FITLFILLMKNT OF PROPHECY, ETC. 



27 



dom that should be. 

But it is the truth, that the same 
spirit of revelation that rested upon 
Mose5-', and which enabled him to 
lead ihe children of Israel through 
the Red Sea, rests upon the servants 
of (lod in the midst of this people, 
and you will find it so to your entire 
satisfaction if you will listen to their 
counsels and be guided by them. 
Does God reveal hunself to his ser- 
vants nowl 1 know he does. The 
same spirit that rested upon Joseph 
— the same spirit tliat rested upon 
Moses, I know it is in the midst of 
the Latter-day Saints — precisely the 
same spirit. But then we are a 
nation of Gentiles. We who have 
come here, what are we ] We are 
called from the Gentile nations. 
The promises are not made to us 
that are made to people who are the 
unmixed descendants of Israel. Id 
many respects, when they come into 
the covenant and are baptized, and 
the j)ower of God rests upon them, 
you ^vill see a different work than 
you see at the present time. 
It is just as much as we, with our 
Gentile traditions — an inheritance 
we have received from our fathers, 
which have come down through 
generations— it is as much as many 
of us can do, with all the power we 
can exercise, to remain in the 
Church. 

I was speaking with Brother 
Simpson Molen this evening, who, 
as yuu know has latetly returned 
from a mission to -the Sandwich 
Islantls. It is now 29 years since 
the Gospel was introduced to the 
people of that country. I labored 
there for four or five years, and was 
the first to preach the Gospel to 
them in their language in this gene- 
ration. During my experience among 
that people, a red skinned race, I 
never knew a man, because of trans- 
gresiiion or anything else, after he 



received the truth — I never knew 
one of them to turn around and fight 
this cause in the manner that we 
witness men doing among our race. 
How is it with the Gentiles, the 
race of which we are a part 1 When a 
man gets a testimony from God and 
falls into transgression he is almost 
immediately seized with the spirit 
of murder. He wants to shed the 
blood of innocence. He wants to 
kill the servants of God, is full of 
bitterness and hatred, and seeks to 
find vent for his wicked passions. 
We have seen this spirit manifested 
in our history among our own race. 
But here is a people who receive 
strong testeraouies concerning the 
Gospel, and from all that I can 
learn there has not been an instance 
of a man's turning around and bit- 
terly fighting this work. There 
seems to be a natural receptiveness 
about them to receive the truth. 
The Indians will be the same in my 
opinion. You will find the same 
peculiarity, you will find them ready 
to receive the truth, and they will 
cleave to the truth. It is difficult 
for the Gentiles to recieve the truth. 
It will be easier for them, because 
unto them are the promises. I look 
for a very different condition of 
things when these races come into 
the church and are brought into the 
covenant. I expect then to see the 
work accomplished by a power that 
we do not witness just now. But it 
is not because something is lacking 
in the organization or in the author- 
ity of the priesthood. We have, as I 
have said, all that is necessary, and 
we have this spirit (5f which I have . 
spoken and which is alluded to in 
this revelation — the same spirit of 
revelation which reveals to us that 
which we should do and the course 
we should take in order to please the 
Lord and in order to build up his 
kingdom, and this Church will al- 



272 



JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES. 



ways be led by that authority from 
this time henceforth until Christ 
himself shall come to preside over us 
and be our king. 

My brethren and sisters, if you 
want more revelation, here is the 
principle upon which to obtain it. 
Are you entitled to it 1 Yes, every 
one of you — the same spirit of reve- 
lation that Moses had, the same 
spirit that all the prophets and 
apostles had, it is your privilege, it 



is my privUege, it is the privilege of 
every man and woman who possesses 
the Gospel to receive the spirit of 
God, the Holy Ghost, to have that 
same spirit resting upon him and 
upon her, and the more we seek 
after it and cherish it the more we 
will have. 

My time is exhausted. I pray 
God to bless us and fill us continu- 
ally with the light of that spirit, in 
the name of Jesus. Amen. 



DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT, 

Delivered in The Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, 

June 20th, 1880. 

(Repoiied by John Irvine,) 

THE gathering OF THE SAINTS — ^THEIR SUFFERINGS — ^ANCIENT PREDIC- 
TIONS fulfilled— CRICKETS AND THEIR MIRACULOUS DESTRUCTION- 
CROPS SAVED — DESERT MADE FRUITFUL — GOD'S KINGDOM IN THE 
MOUNTAINS — ITS FUTURE DESTINY — ^THE COMING OF THE LORD. 



I ^vill call the attention of the 
congregation to a few verses, con- 
tained in the 50th Psalm, and the 
first six verses: *'The mighty God, 
even the Lord, hath spoken, and 
called the earth from the rising 
of the sun unto the going down 
thereof. Out of Zion, the perfec- 



tion of beauty, Qod hath shined. 
Our God shall some, and shall not 
keep silence : a fire shall devour be* 
fore him, and it shall be very tem- 
pestouous round about him. He 
shall call to the heavens from above^ 
and to the oarth, that he may judger 
his people. Gather my saints to«^ 



THE GATHERING 07 THE SAINTS, ETC. 



273 



gether unto me; those that have 
made a covenant with me by sacri- 
fice. And the heavens shall declare 
his righteousness : for God is judge 
himself." It is very evident that 
the Psalmist, when writing these 
words, must have been inspired of 
the living God ; for the events, here 
foretold, are clearly set forth in many 
other parts of the sacred scriptures. 
Two very important events are 
announced here ; one is, the gather- 
ing of the Saints, — those who have 
made a covenant with the Lord by 
sacrifice ; — and another is the coming 
of the Lord, not his first coming, but 
his second advent, when a fire shall 
devour before him, and it shall be 
very tempestuous round about him ; 
when he shall, in other words, come 
in his majesty, in his power, in great 
glory, or, as the apostle Paul expres- 
ses it in one of his epistles to the 
Thessalonians, "he shall be revealed 
from heaven, with his mighty angels, 
in flaming fire, taking vengeance on 
them that know not God, and that 
obey not the Gospel of our Lord Je- 
sus Christ." There seems to be con- 
nected with this advent of the Lord 
from the heavens, great power ; his 
arm is to be made manifest before 
all people. Preparatory to this great 
event, there will be a universal gath- 
ering of the Saints from the four 
quarters of the earth. It is one of 
the signs preceding tte second ad 
vent. It is clearly foretold by many 
of the prophets. David alludes to 
it, not only in this Psalm, but in 
many parts of his Psalms. The 
Spirit of God seems to have moved 
upon him to portray more or less 
the great work of the gathering of 
the Saints in the last days. Many 
suppose that he will come and find 
the Saints scattered all over the 
world, not gathered into any special 
country; but it is evident that those 
who have taken this view of the 
No. 18. 



subject don't understand the Scrip- 
ture writings. Nothing is plainer 
in all the sacred Scriptures than tho 
gathering of the people of God. The 
apostle Paul, in the first chapter of 
his epistle to the Ephesians, propho: 
cies '^ that in the dispensation of the 
fulness of times, he might gather 
together in one aJl things in Christy 
both which are in heaven and which 
are on earth." It seems to be a new 
dispensation, a dispensation that ib 
characterized by the words " fulnesd 
of times." Wlien these times shall 
be fulfilled : when the day shall 
come for this great preparatory 
wurk to take place, the Lord wiu 
signify it, by speaking from the hea- 
vens ; or, as it is here stated, in the 
fourth verse of this Psalm which I 
have just read, " he shall call to the 
heavens from above, and to the 
earth, that he may judge his people. 
Gather my Saints togeuier unto me; 
those that have made a covenant 
with me by sacrifice." From this 
we draw the conclusion, that when 
the dispensation shall be fully usher- 
ed in : when the time for the great 
preparatory work shall take places 
the heavens will no longer be sealed 
up, but the Lord will a^ain spea^ 
will call to the heavens, call upon 
his angels, call upon the ancient pro* 
phets who have died and gone the. 
way of the whole earth, and are 
dwelling in the heavens, to do the 
work assi^ed to them, in the great 
and last dispensation of the fulness 
of times, in bringing about the gath- 
ering and restitution of his piiople 
upon the face of the earth. David« 
in the 107th Psalm, has very clearl|r 
portrayed this wonderful and great 
event. Perhaps it may be well fo^ 
us to read the exact. words. He 
commences the Psalm thus : " O 
give thanks unto the Lord, for he is 
good : for his mercy endure rU for 
ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord 

Vol. XXI. 



274 



JOURNAL OF DISCOtTRSKS. 



say so, whom he hath redeemed 
ifrom the hand of the enemy." Now 
notice the gathering — "and gathered 
them out of the land's, from the east 
and from the west, from the north 
land from the south. It seems to be 
k gathering from the four points of 
the compass, out of all lands. You 
might inquire if the prophets have 
said anything special in relation to 
the country where theSe Saints, or 
^ople of God are to be gathered. 
Let us read the next verse. After 
fathering them out of the different 
countries and lands, from the east, 
west, north and south, the Psalmist 
^ys, " They wandered in a wilder- 
ness, in a solitary way ; they found 
ixo city to dwell in. Hungry and 
thirsty, their soul fainted in them. 
iThen they cried unto the Lord in 
iheir trouble, and he delivered them 
put of their disthisses. And he led 
tbem forth by' the right way," etc. 
Now this cannot refer to any former 
^spensation of gathering. ' When 
the children of Israel in ancient days 
y^ere collected together as a body, 
ihey were not taken from the east, 
tP'est, north and south, but they were 
taken from one little country — the 
land of Goshen in Egypt. From there 
this handful of people, about twen- 
ty-five hundred thousand were taken, 
imd in the course of time were per- 
ibitted to inhabit the land of Canaan. 
But this gathering that is here fipo- 
ien of informs us that they are to 
t)e gathered out of all lands. Who 1 
The redeemed of the Lord, — people 
Vhb have heard the message of re- 
•demption, obeyed the ordinances of 
l^demptiou, received the Gospel of 
i^demption, and were the people of 
^od, the people of Christ ; they 
irere the ones that were to wander 
m the wilderness, after they were 
ihos gathered, and that wilderness 
fTOuld be a solitary way. Now, in 
j^thering from Egypt to the land of 



Canaan, they wandered, it is true, 
in a small wilderness, on the east 
side of the Red Sea, but instead of 
bringing them forth where there 
was no city or habitation, he brought 
them forth to large and populous 
cities. The first city that they came 
to, after crossing from the east side 
of Jordan to the land on the west 
side, was the great city of Jericho^ 
which the Lord delivered into their 
hands ; and then there were numer- 
ous other cities that are mentioned 
in the Book of Joshua, which were 
delivered into the hands of the peo- 
ple. The children of Israel gathered 
out of one land ; but this latter-day 
gathering was to be a people called 
" the redeemed of the Lord ;" they 
were to go into a wilderness coun- 
try. They were called, in many 
parts of the Scripture writings, **the 
people of Zion," and " the Zion of 
the latter-(kys." The Lord calls 
them by this special name in the 
51st chapter of Isaiah, and these are 
the words that are used : " For the 
Lord shall comfort Zion ; he will 
comfort all her waste places ; and he 
will make her wilderness like Eden, 
and her desert like the garden of the 
Lord ; joy and gladness shall be 
found therein, thanksgiving and the 
voice of melody." 

When I was a toy I was inclined 
to attend very frequently the meet- 
ings that were lield by the different 
denominations in the State of New 
York, my native State. I often 
h6ard this prophecy of Isaiah sung, 
by those Svho were singing anthems 
of praise to the Lord, "The Lord 
shall comfort Zion,** etc., but little 
did I know, in my boyhood or youth, 
what was meant by these predictions 
of Isaiah. It seems that the people 
of Zion are to be gathered out from 
all lands, from evezy nation under 
heaven, from the four points of the 
compass, and are to be Drought into 



THE OATHKRINO OT THB SAINTS, ETC. 



275 



H solitary place, a wOderness, and 
^hea they arrive in' that solitary 
place or wilderness, they will, at 
first, be greatly afflicted, sorely dis- 
tressed, 80 much so that they wil} 
W under the necessity of crying 
unto the Lord, and he will deliver 
them from their distress. '* They 
found no city to dwell in," says Da- 
vid. Now, this was the case with 
the Latter-day Saints, whom the 
Lord commanded to sather together. 
When we started forth over the 
great desert plain, where there were 
to settlements, no cities, no towns, 
traveling hundreds of miles without 
any track to gnide us, it was a 
** solitary -way," and rendered more 
terrible by the ^ild beasts that 
roamed over the plains. We could 
kaar the sound of the wolf in his' 
kowlings ; we could hear the sounds 
of the buffalos in their bellowings, 
but the sound of the human voice, 
{rom any village, or town, or settle- 
ment was unknown for hundreds of 
ijailes. 

; We commenced this journey in 
the year 1846, leaving the great 
Mississippi river in the cold month 
of February. After a portion of us 
had crossed the river in boat&, the 
river was frozen over, and the rest 
tf the company crossed In wagons 
«h the ice. We had no erass to sus- 
tain our teams. Our teams depend- 
^ upon the cottonwoods, and barks 
of trees, and a little com that we 
Oottld occasionally get by sending 
down to the settl^nents, and pur^ 
<faasii)g it for that purpose. We 
i^andered in the wilderness ^'in a 
Solitary way," and when we had 
teveled some fourteen hundred 
nules, we found no city to dwell in, 
jmi precisely as the Psalmist said 
ivovOld be tbs case. We entered this 
Ttelley in the month of Julj, 1847, 
hflndng been deitained daring the 
tinier, by sending ov«r 500 oi our 



people — young and middle-aged men 
— ^to help the United States in theiv 
war against Mexico. That detained 
us during the winter, so that w^ 
could not journey any further than 
Council Bluffs, or the regions a littU 
above Omaha, where we built up a 
temporaiy residence. The next 
spring we started off, traveling ovet 
the plains " in a solitary way,** and 
entered this valley just about where 
Fort Douglass is now established oh 
the bench ; we called it Emigration 
Canon. We camodown here upon 
this plot of ground'in the nionth of 
Jnly, and commenced planting a few 
potatoes. It was very late to put 
in any cofn, but we wished to try 
the soil to see whether there was 
any virtue in it. We found it, how- 
ever, like an ash heap. It seeMed 
as tiiough there had been no rain 
upon the land for years. We could 
dig down a great depth in many 
plaees, where this city now stands^ 
without finding scarcely any mokh 
ture, but we succeeded by taking the 
water from the creek — ^City Creek 
we call it — ^in flooding a small por- 
tion of ground, and put in our pota* 
toes, and planted com, a few beans, 
garden s^s, etc.. to see if there was 
any virtue in the soil What were 
tlie results of our first cropi W^ 
found that there was fruitfulness in 
the soil ; but of course it was too 
late for an3rthing to be matured^ 
The same fall, or autumn of 1847, 
several thousand of the Latter-day 
Saints followed up our track. They 
came l^x>n the land in the fall of the 
year, brmging with them a little 
breadstuffs to sustain them during 
the winter, and also our farm uten- 
sils, and everything in the shape of 
wearing apparel that could bd 
brought We had not much to bring, 
for we had already been driven four 
or five times in the Uniibed States, 
f rcmi our houses and from our lands ; 



2U 



JOURNAL 03f DIS00UB8X& 



much of our bedding was burnt ; our 
stores torn down, and the goods car- 
tied into the streets and destroyed. 
Hence, we had not mndi to bring 
with us : but we came trusting in our 
God, and we found that the Lord 
really fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, 
and made the wilderness to blossom 
as the rose, made the desert to bloom 
like the Garden of Eden — ^literally 
fulfilling that which our Gentile re- 
ligious denominations had been sing- 
ing in my ears, when I was a youth. 
Very pleasant song to those who did 
not understand it, but much moile 
pleasant to those who do understand 
and are fulfilling it We made great 
calculations in laying off this city. 
We did not lay it off merely one 
square mile, as if we were doubtful 
as to whether there would be any 
inhabitants to occupy it, nor two 
miles square, but we laid it off, cov- 
ering an area of about five square 
miles. We expected that there 
would be a great emigration. Upon 
1?hat did we found our expectation 1 
Was it upon our own natural judg- 
ment? No; we founded our expecta- 
tion upon that which God had spo- 
ken in the modem revelations which 
he had given to us as a people. He 
told us, by revelation, before our 
prophet was martjrred, that we 
would have to leave the United 
States : go beyond the Itocky Moun- 
tains, and seek our home in the wil- 
derness, and that we would have a 
great people gather with us. We 
believed his words ; we laid out this 
city accordingly ; and now all that 
reipains for us or strangers to do, in 
i^gard to the fulfillment of these 
expectations, is to ride from one end 
of this city to the other, and see if 
there is much spare ground r see if 
t}ie lots are not pretty generally oc- 
cupied, and the city pretty well filled 
with inhabitants. " And he will 
ipake her wilderness like Eden, and 



her desert like tiie garden of l^e 
Lord ; joy and gladness shall be 
found therein." At first, before the 
joy and gladness came, this other 
prophecy was fulfilled : " Hungry 
and thirsty, their soul fainted in 
them," then they cried unto the 
Lord in their afflictions, and the 
Lord heard them, and delivered 
them out of their distress. It is 
not necessary for me to enumerate 
all our privations, such as the short^ 
ness of provisions, and how many 
had to live on the roots that sprang 
out of the ground ; how many had 
to boil up the hides of their cattle 
that had transporteil them across 
the plains ; it is not necessary to 
enter into all these particulars. I 
do not know that it is necessary for 
us even to speak of a great trial of 
our faith, that we had after we had 
been here many months. We plant- 
ed our crops in the spring, and they 
came up,